Sergio Velasco Muñoz

Directing overarching technology strategy, systems architecture, and engineering execution for corporate sovereign Space Domain Awareness (SDA) Command & Control (C2) platforms and tactical solutions for hypersonic missile defense.

• STRATEGIC BIDDING & CAPITAL SOURCING (€25M+): Spearhead international technical bidding campaigns, securing over €25M in competitive European Defense Fund (EDF) frameworks and coordinating strategic sovereign defense consortia.
• ENGINEERING TEAM LEADERSHIP (48 Engineers): Built and scaled a high-performance corporate R&D organization of 48 engineers (18 direct reports, 30 indirect/matrixed), implementing agile product acceleration frameworks to compress development lifecycles in high-reliability environments.
• TECHNOLOGY ROADMAPPING & RADAR SYSTEMS: Define and direct the overarching systems architecture and multi-year product roadmap for sovereign C2 defense software and large-aperture 14-meter Cassegrain / AESA tracking radar infrastructures.
• APPLIED AI & COMPUTATIONAL MODERNIZATION: Direct the integration of deep learning, surrogate AI models, and GPU acceleration (CUDA) into tactical systems, replacing computational bottlenecks with near-real-time orbit determination and proximity operations analytics.
• INSTITUTIONAL TECHNICAL GOVERNANCE: Act as final Technical Authority on multi-partner military projects, validating key industrial milestones from initial architecture through Critical Design Review (CDR) to delivery.
• Flagship Sovereign Programs: Leading and steering contributions across high-stakes European and national consortia including ODIN'S EYE II, EMISSARY, SPIRIT, SpaceDef, and CAPTOR tracking radar.

Steered technical strategy, prototype industrialization, and systems engineering roadmaps for high-precision opto-electronic sensor portfolios (Laser, Photonics, LIDAR) across two deep-tech ventures.

• OPERATIONAL CYCLE COMPRESSION (50%): Implemented Scaled Agile frameworks and Lean principles across cross-functional hardware and software teams, delivering a 50% reduction in development cycles and a substantial reduction in post-sales deficiencies to maximize product reliability.
• SYSTEMS INDUSTRIALIZATION: Led technical risk assessments, industrialization pipelines, and systems engineering architectures for next-generation optical and photonics remote-sensing instrumentation (CRETA 5G, NEMO H2020, and Q2 FMCW Range-Doppler metrology LiDAR).

Managed optical design, flight qualification roadmaps, and radiometric performance strategies for high-velocity embarked commercial Earth observation satellite constellations.

• IN-ORBIT CRISIS SALVAGE (€10M+ REVENUE): Engineered a business-critical in-orbit focus recovery solution utilizing multispectral detectors and scanning mechanisms, salvaging product viability and directly unlocking over €10M+ in commercial revenue.
• STRATEGIC PROCUREMENT & CO-ENGINEERING: Negotiated and led co-engineering agreements and procurement strategies with Tier-1 international aerospace hardware providers to optimize component integration under compressed launch schedule constraints.
• MULTI-PHYSICS ARCHITECTURE: Supervised complex structural-thermal-optical (STOP) analyses, validating optical payload stability and radiometric precision under extreme orbital thermal gradients.

Served as Technical Lead for Assembly, Integration, and Testing (AIT) on flagship European Space Agency (ESA) Copernicus space mission.

• ESA PROGRAM FLIGHT QUALIFICATION: Directed advanced optical payload design verification, straylight mitigation tracking, and spectro-radiometric characterization for space flight hardware on the CLIM instrument (CO2M mission), guaranteeing full ESA flight compliance.
• CLEANROOM INTEGRATION LEADERSHIP: Led cross-disciplinary cleanroom testing campaigns across optical, mechanical, and thermal disciplines under stringent ECSS aerospace standards.

Led end-to-end design, integration, and verification for the first Canarian micro-satellite payload.

• FAST-TRACK TRL9 QUALIFICATION: Directed the full lifecycle of the DRAGO uncooled SWIR spaceborne camera, advancing the system from initial concept and cleanroom verification to full TRL9 Flight Qualification in under two years.

• EST MCAO Real-Time Simulator: Audited the optical AO design for the 4-meter European Solar Telescope (EST) and engineered the Multi-Conjugate Adaptive Optics (MCAO) real-time laboratory simulator.
• AOLI Instrument & Nobel Co-Authorship: Scientist coordinator leading the integration and commissioning of the Adaptive Optics Lucky Imager (AOLI) for the 4.2m WHT telescope. Fostered an international collaboration network resulting in co-authored publications alongside two Nobel Laureates (Michel Mayor, Didier Queloz) and coordinated NASA technical cooperation.