Ulrich Gengenbach - Ground System Consultant

Q: Where is Ulrich based?

Ulrich is based in Swindon, United Kingdom and can operate in on-site , hybrid , and remote work models.

Q: What languages does Ulrich speak?

Ulrich speaks the following languages: German (Advanced), English (Advanced) .

Q: How many years of experience does Ulrich have?

Ulrich has at least 28 years of experience. During this time, Ulrich has worked in at least 12 different roles and for 12 different companies . The average length of individual experience is 2 years and 4 months . Note that Ulrich may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.

Q: What is Ulrich's latest experience?

Ulrich's most recent position is Ground System Consultant at Gengenbach Consulting Ltd (for Astroscale) .

Q: What companies has Ulrich worked for in recent years?

In recent years, Ulrich has worked for Gengenbach Consulting Ltd (for Astroscale) , Rhea Group (for Astroscale) , Rhea Group (for NEOM-Rail Project) , Gengenbach Consulting Ltd (for QinetiQ) , and Gengenbach Consulting Ltd (for Archangel Lightworks) .

Q: Which industries is Ulrich most experienced in?

Ulrich is most experienced in industries like Energy , Manufacturing , and Space Exploration and Travel . Ulrich also has some experience in Aerospace and Defense , Construction , and Transportation and Logistics .

Q: Which business areas is Ulrich most experienced in?

Ulrich is most experienced in business areas like Product Development , Quality Assurance (QA) , and Research and Development (R&D) . Ulrich also has some experience in Project Management , Operations , and Strategy and Planning .

Q: Which industries has Ulrich worked in recently?

Ulrich has recently worked in industries like Space Exploration and Travel , Aerospace and Defense , and Construction .

Q: Which business areas has Ulrich worked in recently?

Ulrich has recently worked in business areas like Product Development , Project Management , and Strategy and Planning .

Recommended expert

Swindon, United Kingdom

Experience

Feb 2025 - Present

1 year 1 month

Ground System Consultant

Gengenbach Consulting Ltd (for Astroscale)

ELSA-M Ground segment
Requirement and concept analysis for ground segment extension.

Feb 2023 - Aug 2023

7 months

Principal System Consultant

Rhea Group (for Astroscale)

Worked for ADRAS-J and ELSA-M ground segment projects
Developed test and verification strategy for the ground segment
Consulted development team on ground segment architecture with respect to mission and operational behaviour
Analysed and documented requirement verification status and operational readiness status
Participated in launch readiness reviews, managed different department stakeholders

Sep 2022 - Dec 2022

4 months

Project Manager and Engineering Specialist

Rhea Group (for NEOM-Rail Project)

Managed various external stakeholders, suppliers, clients and the technical team for security and cyber security assurance
Organized project plan and delivery schedule and resources to ensure a timely delivery

Jun 2021 - Oct 2021

5 months

Consulting Satellite Lead Systems Engineer

Gengenbach Consulting Ltd (for QinetiQ)

Setting up the project of integration and testing of an ESA IOD satellite
Supported project planning with a technical integration schedule, risk analysis and testing strategy
Prepared a strategy for integration and testing accounting for project needs, supplier constraints and supplier risks
Performed technical management and coordination of the engineering team

Nov 2018 - Aug 2022

3 years 10 months

Senior Project Manager and Head of Engineering

Gengenbach Consulting Ltd (for Archangel Lightworks)

Worked for the HALO project, developing a laser communication system space to ground
Direct work in the executive team, preparation of funding applications with development of strategic roadmaps
Developed strategy and product roadmap from early design phase to product delivery
Performed project and company risk analysis and mitigation planning
Created and updated project plan including schedule, work breakdown structure and budgets
Negotiated contracts and managed multiple external suppliers and stakeholders
Managed ESA stakeholders for the ESA-ARTES project and performed reviews with ESA from early design (System Requirement Review, SRR) to Critical Design Review (CDR)
Acted as head of engineering and performed critical and strategic design and verification decisions
Managed the engineering team with leadership, training, resource planning.

Dec 2017 - Jul 2018

8 months

Technical Project Manager

Gengenbach Consulting Ltd (for Rockwell Collins, Germany)

Technical management for development of reaction wheels for space applications
Supported the development of strategic new project proposals for ESA contributing with satellite primes’ and satellite mission perspective
Generated project schedule, work breakdown structure for new design and development activities
Responsible for budget, schedule and quality of engineering tasks of an active project

Aug 2017 - Nov 2017

4 months

Senior Test Development Engineer

Gengenbach Consulting Ltd (for Inmarsat Aviation, UK)

Test strategy development for the European Aviation Network (EAN) project
Completed development of test strategy, test plans and test cases for testing of Internet-on-Air services within 3 months
Negotiated test plan with end customer and achieved consent with all stakeholders and the customer
Led development of test procedures and test execution
Introduced usage of UML and iterative testing in parallel with development in test development department

Oct 2014 - Aug 2017

2 years 11 months

Functional Validation Engineer (Satellite)

Terma NL (for Airbus DS, Stevenage, UK)

Functional validation testing for the interplanetary probe Solar Orbiter, sub-systems data handling (DHS), Attitude and Orbit Control (AOCS), Failure detection and Recovery (FDIR)
Responsible for development and execution of automated functional tests with satellite simulations
Prepared and performed various tests for DHS and AOCS subsystems on satellite engineering model (EM), including post-test analysis and test reporting
Improved testing quality with tracing and analyzing requirements from test procedures, test specification to the requirements in DOORS and proposed improvements on requirements and/or test specifications
Trained the test team in more structured test approach, using UML (Sparx Enterprise Architect) and agile development methodologies to improve test development processes

Jan 2013 - Jul 2014

1 year 7 months

Satellite Test & Test System Engineer

Terma NL (for OHB AG, Bremen, Germany)

Satellite test and test design engineer in the Assembly, Integration and Test (AIT) department on the Galileo project
Designed and developed functional overall satellite level tests as part of system engineering team
Developed and performed the onboard data handling (OBDH) qualification campaign
Implemented, executed and analyzed automated full functional performance tests for satellite level, data handling, power and thermal sub-systems on six satellites
Introduced multiple safety-related software improvements on own initiative

Nov 2007 - Dec 2012

5 years 2 months

Weßling, Germany

System Engineer (Operations)

LSE Space AG (for GSOC, Germany)

Responsible systems engineer in satellite operations (SATCOM) for On-board Data Handling (DHS), Telemetry and Telecommanding (TM/TC) and onboard security sub-systems
Supported sub-systems as Attitude and Orbit Control (AOCS), propulsion and thermal sub-systems
Prepared ground system, validation and adaptation of flight procedures and flight database
Managed sub-systems through Launch and Early Orbit Phase (LEOP) as well as through orbit validation tests and routine operations
Co-designed operational concept, ground and flight procedures for onboard security system
Led the execution of orbital maneuvers as well as recovery operations

Aug 2005 - Oct 2007

2 years 3 months

Hamburg, Germany

Engineer & Project Lead

Airbus GmbH

Supported the issue-tracking and non-conformance management for A380 project and led development of a tool-set to improve analysis, reporting and process of issue tracking on own initiative
System architect and managed the project for software development of BeRTraM
Performed technical management of a six-person developer team and an external developer team
Enhanced transparency on issue processing and improved team coordination in the Airbus A380 project by architecture of a reporting consolidation tool used by about 500 clients and became major source for status reports for top management

Aug 1995 - Dec 2012

17 years 5 months

Freelancing Engineering and Software Development Projects

Freelancing Consultant

Executed various consultancy and freelancing contracts in parallel with university studies
Designed architecture and developed quality assurance software for automated curing system (real time measurement via TCP/IP from a Mitsubishi PLC)
Architected and developed real-time measurement software for fuel cell test stand (CAN-Bus)
Created E-CAD/CAD drawings and performed PLC development for automation projects

Industries Experience

See where this freelancer has spent most of their professional time. Longer bars indicate deeper hands-on experience, while shorter ones reflect targeted or project-based work.

Experienced in Energy (17.5 years), Manufacturing (17.5 years), Space Exploration (15.5 years), Aerospace and Defense (5.5 years), Construction (0.5 years), and Transportation (0.5 years).

Energy

Manufacturing

Space Exploration

Aerospace and Defense

Construction

Transportation

Business Areas Experience

The graph below provides a cumulative view of the freelancer's experience across multiple business areas, calculated from completed and active engagements. It highlights the areas where the freelancer has most frequently contributed to planning, execution, and delivery of business outcomes.

Experienced in Product Development (24 years), Quality Assurance (22.5 years), Research and Development (18.5 years), Project Management (7 years), Operations (5 years), and Strategy (4 years).

Product Development

Quality Assurance

Research and Development

Project Management

Operations

Strategy

Summary

Multidisciplinary aerospace systems engineer with 17+ years of experience over the complete lifecycle of satellites from design, testing and verification to operations, and experience from component level to satellite level. Worked in different roles from system engineer, test engineer, system consultant, project manager and head of engineering.

Skills

Project Management, Team Management
Test-strategy, Test-architecture, Validation, Verification (V&v) And Test Analysis
Satellite Sub-system Design: Obdh, Tm/tc, Aocs, Fdir, Propulsion, Satellite System
System Knowledge For Meo, Geo Satellites And Interplanetary Probes
Model Based Systems Engineering (Mbse)
Software Architecture & Development
Ccsds, Pus, Ecss, Scos-2000
Mil-std-1553, Spacewire, Can-bus, Tcp/ip
Uml, Sysml, Bpmn
Software: Jira & Confluence, Redmine, Ms Project, Sparx Enterprise Architect, Capella

Languages

German

Advanced

English

Advanced

Education

Technische Universitaet Stuttgart

Diplom Ingenieur, Aeronautical Engineering · Aeronautical Engineering · Stuttgart, Germany

Profile

Created

July 2025

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Frequently asked questions

Do you have questions? Here you can find further information.

Where is Ulrich based?

Ulrich is based in Swindon, United Kingdom and can operate in on-site, hybrid, and remote work models.

What languages does Ulrich speak?

Ulrich speaks the following languages: German (Advanced), English (Advanced).

How many years of experience does Ulrich have?

Ulrich has at least 28 years of experience. During this time, Ulrich has worked in at least 12 different roles and for 12 different companies. The average length of individual experience is 2 years and 4 months. Note that Ulrich may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.

What roles would Ulrich be best suited for?

Based on recent experience, Ulrich would be well-suited for roles such as: Ground System Consultant, Principal System Consultant, Project Manager and Engineering Specialist.

What is Ulrich's latest experience?

Ulrich's most recent position is Ground System Consultant at Gengenbach Consulting Ltd (for Astroscale).

What companies has Ulrich worked for in recent years?

In recent years, Ulrich has worked for Gengenbach Consulting Ltd (for Astroscale), Rhea Group (for Astroscale), Rhea Group (for NEOM-Rail Project), Gengenbach Consulting Ltd (for QinetiQ), and Gengenbach Consulting Ltd (for Archangel Lightworks).

Which industries is Ulrich most experienced in?

Ulrich is most experienced in industries like Energy, Manufacturing, and Space Exploration and Travel. Ulrich also has some experience in Aerospace and Defense, Construction, and Transportation and Logistics.

Which business areas is Ulrich most experienced in?

Ulrich is most experienced in business areas like Product Development, Quality Assurance (QA), and Research and Development (R&D). Ulrich also has some experience in Project Management, Operations, and Strategy and Planning.

Which industries has Ulrich worked in recently?

Ulrich has recently worked in industries like Space Exploration and Travel, Aerospace and Defense, and Construction.

Which business areas has Ulrich worked in recently?

Ulrich has recently worked in business areas like Product Development, Project Management, and Strategy and Planning.

What is Ulrich's education?

Ulrich holds a Master in Aeronautical Engineering from Technische Universitaet Stuttgart.

What is the availability of Ulrich?

Ulrich is immediately available part-time for suitable projects.

What is the rate of Ulrich?

Ulrich's rate depends on the specific project requirements. Please use the Meet button on the profile to schedule a meeting and discuss the details.