Faces of Ariane 6: Tina

It takes thousands of people to design, develop, build and operate a complete space launch system. Here we highlight the people from all over Europe working on space transportation to ensure that Europe has independent access to space, to enjoy the benefits from space activities and share them with people of the world.

What is your name and role?

My name is Tina Büchner da Costa and I am working as an Ariane 6 launch system architect on the fluidic systems. This involves both the launch pad and the launcher itself.

How long have you been involved in space transport and what were/are your tasks?

I have been working on space transport systems for 20 years now, at the beginning of my career on the Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV), then on the Ariane 5 Mid-life Evolution development and now on Ariane 6. I had a first experience with ESA as a Young Graduate Trainee in the Concurrent Design Facility at ESTEC in The Netherlands, where we started designing the first European missions to the Moon. Then I decided to gather experience in the space industry and spent 15 years at Airbus and ArianeGroup before I closed the loop and came back to ESA in Paris in 2019 where I am now working in the Space Transportation directorate.

During these years I had many different roles in system engineering and project management, as subcontractor manager, as department head for launcher technologies and as responsible for the development of the Ariane 6 upper stage test bench at DLR in Lampoldshausen, Germany, where the qualification tests for the upper stage took place.

What is your educational background and prior work experience?

I have a master’s degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Stuttgart, Germany, and a master’s in business psychology – which may sound like a bit of an unusual combination. It does however reflect pretty well who I am and what drives me: a passion for space and a passion for people!

How did I find my way here? My childhood inspiration were movies: first Top Gun, which made me curious about planes and speed, and then Apollo 13. I wanted to be part of an international team achieving something that is bigger than what an individual person or country can do, and space fascinated me very much. I pursued this dream when I found out where and how you can study it. I love the sound of engines, which is why almost everything I did in my career was related to propulsion and testing. To get a rocket off the ground requires powerful engines, so this is how I ended up in space transportation. I was lucky enough to spend some months in French Guiana as a student for an internship and working there got me hooked – I was determined to come back for my job one day, and here I am: I spent a great part of 2023 in Kourou testing the Ariane 6 propulsion system, together with an amazing team of very skilled professionals.

What is the most notable or memorable moment during your time working on space transport?

It is difficult to name one moment as I have several really great memories that fuel my passion: my time in Kourou, meeting Buzz Aldrin personally during my studies at the International Space University, visiting the cosmonaut training center in Star City near Moscow, Russia, witnessing the last Space Shuttle lift off, and land… it is the sum of these amazing opportunities that keeps me motivated and inspired.

What does it mean to you to be part of the larger team of rocket scientists and engineers?

When I studied at the International Space University in Australia and met hundreds of space professionals from all over the globe, I realised that we shared a passion for space and that most of us are not “geeks” but normal people who are passionate about what they do – this is when I realised how powerful the space community is. For me it was the moment when I understood that this unity can contribute to peace in the world. Even if this sounds like an innocent wish of a young girl, I have to admit that I still believe in this after all these years and that I will keep working on spreading the word. I consider myself extremely lucky to have a job and colleagues that make me want to get out of bed and into the office every day – because we love what we do and because the people are simply amazing!

What is one thing you’d like the European public to know about your job?

I would love to be able to tell everyone how essential the use of space is for our daily lives, I would like to make everyone aware that they are all space users and that the public money that goes into our work comes back to each and every one of us in benefits that we sometimes do not even realise such as when we switch on our smartphones in the morning to use space data.

What’s the best thing about your job?

I would choose it again without hesitation – and I do not want to work in any other field. What could be better than thinking this after having been in a job for 20 years?

What do you do outside of your job to unwind, what are your hobbies, what do you do for fun?

I love traveling, sports, dancing, and nature – on a sailing boat or on a canoe is where I am very happy (though spending time in a hammock in the jungle is also something I like a lot). Since I am a mother of two, my spare time is of course dedicated to a great part to my family. One of my favourite activities is a family bike ride with a nice picnic.

Do you have any advice for future generations interested in space exploration?

There are very exciting times ahead of us for space exploration and Europe can play an important role in that. I would encourage everyone who is curious about this field of work to get in contact with us to talk about our jobs. There are so many possibilities to simply have a chat and find out that space is accessible to anyone who wants to join our community. This is what I have always done – get out there and ask. This opens doors you did not know existed!