Paolo Ferri at ESOC in Darmstadt

Paolo Ferri is an Italian physicist who spent his entire career at the European Space Agency (ESA), in the field of space mission operations. After his retirement from ESA in 2021 he supports educational and outreach activities on astronautics and space sciences, and training activities specific to space operations. He is guest lecturing at the Julius-Maximilian University of Würzburg and at the Technical University of Dresden and member of the Advisory Board^[1] at the University of Applied Sciences in Darmstadt. He also writes books for the general public on space exploration and operations.

Biography^[2]

Born in Milano, Italy, on 3 September 1959, he received his degree in Physics in 1984 at the University of Pavia, Italy with a thesis in theoretical plasma physics applied to nuclear fusion.

On 15 August 1984 he joined ESA’s Science Directorate as a visiting scientist, working as duty scientist at the EXOSAT Observatory, located at ESOC, the European Space Operations Centre in Darmstadt, Germany.

He moved to the field of mission operations engineering, joining ESA’s Operations Directorate, in February 1986, working as Spacecraft Operations Engineer on the EURECA microgravity mission. At the end of the mission, in 1993, he was nominated Spacecraft Operations Manager for CLUSTER, a 4-satellites scientific mission to study the Earth’s magnetosphere and its interaction with the solar wind.

On 4 June 1996 the four CLUSTER satellites were destroyed at launch, due to the explosion of the new ESA launcher Ariane 5, 37 seconds after lift-off. He continued leading the CLUSTER operations team towards a new launch of the spare satellite, provisionally named Phoenix, until April 1997, when he was reassigned to lead the mission operations team in preparation of the Rosetta mission, the first mission aimed to rendezvous with a comet’s nucleus and to land on its surface, due to launch in January 2003.

At that time ESOC’s ground segment infrastructure could not support the operations of an interplanetary mission like Rosetta. The necessary expertise did not exist either in Europe and everything had to be designed and built up almost from scratch. In this period, he supported also the preparation of two other interplanetary missions, Mars Express and Venus Express, both utilizing mostly the design and infrastructure being built for Rosetta.

After Rosetta’s launch in March 2004, he also worked as Flight Director for the launch and arrival at Venus of Venus Express, and as acting Spacecraft Operations Manager for BepiColombo, ESA’s mission to Mercury.

In 2006 he was nominated Head of the Solar and Planetary Mission Operations Division, in charge of the operations preparation and execution for all ESA missions in the solar system. Among these he continued to work as Flight Director of Rosetta. He also supported as Flight Director in 2009 the launch of the GOCE mission to study the Earth’s gravity field.

2013 he was nominated Head of ESA’s Mission Operations Department, in charge the ground segment and operations of all ESA robotic missions assigned to ESOC and of the management of the operations of ESA’s worldwide ground stations network, ESTRACK.

He retired from ESA at the end of 2020. Since then he supports various activities in the field of training on space operations and space system engineering, education at school and university level, public outreach, popular science books, lectures and podcasts.

Since July 2016 he is Member of the International Academy of Astronautics, and since April 2021 Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society.

He is author of over 100 papers in the field of space mission operations engineering, plasma physics and X-ray astrophysics.

Awards^[2]

October 2014 – Sir Arthur Clarke Award - the Arthur Clarke Foundation^[3] “In recognition of the outstanding achievement of the Rosetta Philae Teams in designing, building, testing, landing and controlling the ESA's Rosetta comet-chaser”.

December 2014 – Premio S.Martino – Civica Benemerenza Città di Bollate

October 2015 – Induction into the Hall of Fame of the International Astronautics Federation^[4] “For his outstanding achievements in the field of spacecraft operations and flight dynamics by successfully operating numerous ESA space science missions, maximising science return in close interaction with the investigators”.

November 2015 – ESA Award for Corporate Team Achievement “In recognition of your valuable contribution to the success of the Rosetta mission”

December 2015 – Gold Medal for Team Achievement – Royal Aeronautical Society^[5] - Representing the Rosetta Team.

February 2016 – Laurel for Team Achievement – International Academy of Astronautics^[6] “The Philae Lander Team – representing the management team”

Honours

On 27 December 2020 he was awarded the honour of Cavaliere of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic by the President of the Italian Republic Sergio Mattarella, “for his contribution to space sciences and the activities of the European Space Agency”.^[7]

Books

• Il cacciatore di comete – Laterza, Bari, 2020 - ISBN 9788858141250 (in Italian)^[8]
• Il lato oscuro del sole - Laterza, Bari, 2022 - ISBN 9788858149720 (in Italian)^[9]
• Le sfide di Marte - Storie di esplorazione di un pianeta difficile - Raffaello Cortina Editore, - ISBN 978-8832855289 (in Italian)^[10]

Contributions to books

Editors: C.P.Escoubet, C.T.Russel, R.Schmidt, The Cluster and Phoenix Missions, Kluwer Academic Publishers 1997 - ISBN 0-7923-4411-1^[11]

Co-author: Cluster Mission Operations, pp. 475–485

Editors: R.Schulz, C.Alexander, H.Boehnhardt, K.H.Glaßmeier, Rosetta - ESA's Mission to the Origin of the Solar System, Springer 2009 - ISBN 978-0-387-77517-3^[12]

Prime author Chapter 6: Ground Segment and Mission Operations

Editors: T.Uhlig, F.Sellmaier, M.Schmidhuber, Spacecraft Operations, Springer Verlag 2015 - ISBN 978-3-7091-1803-0^[13]

Author of Chapter 7.2 - Interplanetary Operations

Co-author of chapter 7.3 - Lander operations

Herausgeber: Wilfried Ley, Klaus Wittmann, Willi Hallmann, Handbuch der Raumfahrttechnik, Edition: 5., aktualisierte und erweiterte Auflage, Carl Hanser Verlag 2019 - e ISBN 978-3-446-45723-2 - Print ISBN 978-3-446-45429-3^[14]

Co-author Chapter 6.1 Satellitenbetrieb (in German)

Herausgeber: R.van Dick et Al., Goethe-Vigoni Discorsi. Riflessioni italo-tedesche al tempo del Coronavirus, Villa Vigoni Editore - ISBN (Deu): 978-3-96966-513-8 - ISBN (Ita): 978-88-944986-3-9^[15]

Author of Chapter: "Quando la pandemia raggiunse lo spazio siderale" / "Wenn eine Pandemie nach den Sternen greift" (in Italian/German)

Other Projects

ESA Masterclass: Leadership in Mission Control^[16]

A set of 5 videos touching several topics relating to managing space mission operations.

“With 37 years’ experience at the European Space Agency, Paolo Ferri has played a leading role in ensuring the success of ambitious missions like Eureca, Cluster, Venus Express and the epoch-making Rosetta – humanity’s first landing on a comet. In five episodes of ‘Leadership at Mission Control’, Paolo takes us through the major events in his career, covering cornerstone missions, first attempts, overcoming technical challenges, building diverse teams and solving the unexpected problems that arise with even the best-planned missions”.

Tomas Saraceno talks with Paolo Ferri – Installation “Songs of the Air” Hessisches Landesmuseum Darmstadt October 2020^[17]

Podcasts and public talks

The First-Ever Rendezvous with a Comet—Dr. Paolo Ferri—The European Space Agency’s Rosetta Mission^[18]

Europe’s Comet Chaser – June 2016^[19]

Careers in Space – May 2021

Eureca mission – May 2021

Planetare Missionen nehmen die wissenschaftliche Arbeit wieder auf – April 2020^[20]

ESA Missionsbetrieb^[21]

ESA Misison Solar Orbiter erkundet die Sonne – March 2013^[22]

L’uomo che inseguì una cometa – August 2020

Inside ESOC’s Control Room – March 2021^[23]

Osservare la Terra dallo spazio – June 2021^[24]

HERA e la difesa planetaria – Dicembre 2021^[25]

ESA Mission Operations^[26]

Rosetta, il cacciatore di comete - Intervista a Paolo Ferri– July 2020^[27]

Space Rocks Uplink – Mission Control Lessons for Everyday Life^[28]

Checklist Completed: Technologie, Automation und Verfahren

Italia et Scientia – Solar Orbiter – 2020^[29]

Physik im Theater – Wie wir auf einem Kometen Landeten -june 2015^[30]

Il cacciatore di comete – intervista a Paolo Ferri - June 2020^[31]

Gli Speciali di War Room. Enrico Cisnetto incontra Guido Tonelli e Paolo Ferri – June 2020^[32]

The Future of Space Exploration | Paolo Ferri | TEDxYouth@Trastevere – 2015^[33]

IAF Highlight Lecture 2015 – The International Rosetta Mission^[34]

Europa forscht im Sonnensystem: ESAs interplanetare Missionen | Dr. Paolo Ferri - Space@TU – June 2018^[35]

Eine Reise zu den Planeten (Kindervorlesung) – November 2019 –^[36]

La Missione Rosetta – Mecroledi della Cultura – January 2021^[37]

References