Satellite Systems, although ubiquitous, are the most complex technologies ever to be developed because they leave no room for error as they operate in outer space !

Shubham Mishra, our next pathbreaker, works as Project Manager at Redwire Space Europe (Ghent, Belgium), a company that builds complete satellites, subsystems, scientific instruments, and docking systems used on the International Space Station.

Shubham talks to Shyam Krishnamurthy from The Interview Portal about his career journey from the world of automotives where he worked on “smart glass”, that can change its transparency on command — either through software or hardware signals, to space systems.

For students, a degree opens a door, and skills keep you in the room. However, many of the soft skills — negotiation, “big picture” thinking, cross-cultural communication — come from doing, not studying.

Shubham, Your Background?

I grew up in Boisar, a small town in Maharashtra. My father worked as a General Manager at Viraj Steels — a large steel manufacturing company — so I grew up watching how large industrial operations are managed. My mother was a homemaker who kept our family grounded. That combination of seeing hard work up close and having a stable, supportive home gave me a strong foundation.

Growing up, I was very active in sports. I played cricket for the Mumbai Police team and represented my district in volleyball and football as well. Sports taught me something no classroom can fully teach — how to compete, how to lose, how to come back, and how to function as part of a team.

I also loved public speaking. I participated in exhibitions and elocutions regularly and genuinely enjoyed the challenge of communicating ideas clearly in front of an audience. Looking back, that skill has been one of the most valuable things I ever developed.

What did you for Graduation & Post Graduation?

I did my B.Tech in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from SRM University in Chennai. That gave me the technical foundation — circuits, systems, control theory.

After working for a while, I went to Germany to pursue my Master’s in Systems Engineering and Engineering Management from FH Soest. This was a turning point. Systems Engineering taught me how to think about complex problems holistically — not just one component, but how everything fits together. Engineering Management added the business dimension. That combination is exactly what I use every single day.

Later I also earned my PMP — Project Management Professional certification — one of the most globally recognised credentials in project management.

What were some of the key influences that led you to a career in Space Technologies?

Honestly, it wasn’t a single moment. It was a direction I kept moving toward.

I’ve always been drawn to complex systems — things where if one part fails, everything fails. That kind of environment forces you to be sharp, disciplined, and thorough. Automotive gave me my first taste of that. But aerospace felt like the next level entirely. The engineering standards are stricter, the stakes are higher, and the problems are genuinely hard.

I also had an eagerness to keep learning. The moment I feel like I’ve mastered something completely, I get restless. Aerospace hasn’t let me get comfortable — and that’s exactly why I chose it.

Tell us about your Career Path

My first job started while I was still completing my Master’s in Germany — I joined Continental AG as a student employee. Continental is one of the world’s largest automotive suppliers. That experience taught me procurement, supplier management, and how global supply chains actually work — not from a textbook, but on the ground.

After graduating, I joined AGP E-glass as a Project Manager — this is where I got my first real taste of running programs end to end. AGP is an automotive glass manufacturer, but the work was anything but ordinary. I was responsible for the electronics integration in smart glass products.

What is smart glass? It’s glass that can change its transparency on command — either through software or hardware signals. There are different technologies behind it: PDLC (Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystal) and EC (Electrochromic) are two of the main types. You’ve probably seen this in premium cars already — the BMW iX series, Polestar, Geely, and Ferrari all use this technology today. At the touch of a button, the roof or window can go from clear to opaque instantly. It’s genuinely futuristic technology, and it’s already on roads around the world.

I also worked on a solar roof project for Volvo. The concept: the entire roof of the car is built with high-efficiency solar cells. The power generated charges the car’s battery — and in some implementations, like Toyota’s Prius, it can even directly extend the electric range of the vehicle. The Volvo version is still in product development and hasn’t hit the market yet, but working on that project gave me a close-up view of where automotive technology is heading.

Then came the deliberate pivot to aerospace. I targeted it — researched companies, understood what skills transferred, and positioned myself accordingly. That’s how I joined Redwire Space Europe in Ghent, Belgium. Today I manage the manufacturing and delivery of critical satellite hardware — the On-Board Computer (the satellite’s brain), the Remote Terminal Unit (its nervous system), and the Power Conditioning Unit (its power supply). If any of these fail, the mission fails.

How Did You Get Your First Break?

My first break professionally was landing the student job at Continental while still studying — it meant I graduated with real industry experience, not just a degree. That head start mattered enormously.

The move to AGP came through something I didn’t plan but should have seen coming. While I was at Continental, I was part of a team evaluating AGP as a potential technology partner — specifically for transparent display technology. Through that process, the people at AGP got to see my work directly. They liked what they saw, and they offered me a position. That transition happened because of the quality of the work I did, not a job application. It’s a reminder that every professional interaction is also an audition.

For aerospace specifically, it was a targeted effort. I didn’t wait for an opportunity to appear — I went after it, understood what the industry needed, and made the case that my background in complex supplier management was directly applicable. Space hardware is built by a network of subcontractors, just like automotive. The difference is the standards and the consequences.

What were some of Challenges you faced & how did you address them?

Challenge 1: Switching Industries Mid-Career

Going from automotive to aerospace isn’t just a change of job — it’s a change of world. Different standards, different language, different culture. In aerospace, there’s very little room for error. Hardware that goes into space cannot be recalled or repaired. I had to relearn how to work in an environment where every decision is documented, verified, and traced. It took discipline and humility.

Challenge 2: Working Across Cultures in a Foreign Country

I’m Indian, living in Belgium, working with European engineers, ESA (the European Space Agency), and international subcontractors. Early on, I had to learn not just the technical language but the professional culture — how decisions are made, how disagreements are handled, how trust is built in a multinational environment. It’s something they don’t teach you in any course.

Challenge 3: Bridging Two Completely Different Worlds

Going from managing smart glass panels for luxury electric vehicles to managing avionics for satellites was the biggest challenge. On paper, both are Project Manager roles. In reality, they’re different planets — literally. In automotive, timelines are tight but products are produced in volume. If one unit has a defect, you fix it in the next batch. In aerospace, you’re often building one unit. One. And it has to work perfectly in an environment where no one can go and fix it.

Transferable skills get you in the door. Adaptability keeps you there.

Where Do You Work Now?

I work at Redwire Space Europe in Ghent, Belgium. Redwire is not just a components supplier — we build complete satellites, subsystems, scientific instruments, and docking systems used on the International Space Station. When astronauts dock a spacecraft to the ISS, there’s a real chance that a Redwire-built mechanism is part of that process.

I originally joined Redwire as a Subcontractor Manager. Think of it this way: to build a satellite, you need dozens of highly specialised components — many of which are sourced from specialist suppliers around the world. My job was to find, qualify, and manage those suppliers. It’s very similar to how a car manufacturer like Volvo doesn’t build every component itself — it sources seats, electronics, glass, and engines from specialists and assembles them into a final product. I was doing the same thing, but for satellites.

Now, as Project Manager, my scope has sharpened. I’m responsible for delivering three specific systems that are essential to every satellite we build:

OBC — Onboard Computer: the brain of the satellite. It controls all operations.

PCDU — Power Control and Distribution Unit: the heart. It manages all electrical power on board.

RTU — Remote Terminal Unit: the nervous system. It connects and communicates between all satellite subsystems.

If any one of these fails in orbit, the satellite is lost. That’s the weight of the work.

What skills are needed?

Project management, contract negotiation, systems thinking, earned value analysis — tracking whether a project is delivering real value for the money spent — and above all, communication. You are constantly translating between engineers, management, and external partners.

What do I love about this job?

What we build gets into space. It actually leaves the planet. That’s not something most people can say about their work. Every successful delivery means we’ve pushed humanity’s capability forward — even if nobody outside the industry ever notices.

How Does Your Work Benefit Society?

Satellites run the invisible infrastructure of modern life. GPS, weather forecasting, climate monitoring, internet in remote villages, disaster response — all of it depends on satellites functioning reliably in orbit. The hardware I help deliver contributes directly to that infrastructure. It’s quiet work, but the impact is global.

A Memorable Piece of Work?

The project I’m most proud of is the one I’m currently delivering — the first commercial program at Redwire Space Europe. What makes it memorable isn’t just the technical challenge. It’s that I was trusted to run something new — a program type the company hadn’t done before — with a compressed timeline, under commercial pressure, while maintaining the same quality standards as a multi-year government program.

Every week has brought a new problem I hadn’t encountered before. And every week, we’ve solved it. That ongoing process of figuring it out in real time — that’s the work I’ll remember.

An earlier project that also stands out is the solar roof development for Volvo at AGP E-glass. Working on a technology that could one day extend the range of electric vehicles — powered entirely by sunlight collected through the roof of a car — is the kind of work that makes you feel like you’re building the future. It hasn’t launched yet, but when it does, I’ll know I was part of its origin.

Advice to Students?

Build skills, not just credentials.

A degree opens a door. Skills keep you in the room. The most useful things I know today — negotiation, systems thinking, cross-cultural communication — came from doing, not studying.

Don’t wait for the perfect path.

I started in automotive. I ended up in space. If I had waited for the ‘right’ industry from day one, I’d have missed the experience that made me valuable in aerospace. Start somewhere. Build. Move.

Every interaction is an audition.

I didn’t get my job at AGP through a job portal. I got it because people saw the quality of my work when I was evaluating them as a partner. How you show up in every meeting, on every project, with every person — that’s your real CV.

Learn to communicate.

The smartest person in the room who can’t explain their thinking clearly will always lose to someone who can. Public speaking, writing, presenting — invest in these early.

Curiosity is a career strategy.

If you’re genuinely interested in understanding how things work, that energy is visible — and it will take you places enthusiasm alone won’t.

Future Plans?

Outside of my day job in aerospace, I am building two products in parallel — because I believe the skills I’ve built as a systems and project engineer can be applied to real problems beyond the industry I work in.

EpicHandshake

EpicHandshake is a professional networking tool built for people who attend industry events. The problem it solves is simple: you meet someone interesting at a conference, exchange a business card or a handshake, and then three days later you’ve lost the context of who they were and what you talked about. EpicHandshake lets you scan business cards, share your profile via QR code, tag contacts, and manage follow-ups — all in one place. It’s live at epichandshake.com and currently being used at real events.

HealthIN

HealthIN is a clinic management and patient health record operating system for India, starting in Boisar — the town I grew up in. Most small clinics in India still run on paper prescriptions and WhatsApp messages. HealthIN gives doctors a digital prescription tool and gives patients a centralised health record they can carry across every doctor they visit. I’m starting with the doctors I know personally, and expanding through medical representative networks. The long-term vision is to build a sovereign Indian health data layer that stays in India and serves Indian patients.

The common thread across everything I do: build systems that matter, in places where they’re genuinely needed.