Olivia Borgue

Dr. Olivia Borgue’s achievements in the Energy and Sustainability sphere are helping democratize space access by slashing the costs of running and launching satellites.

As a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Luxembourg, Borgue led the development, manufacturing and launch of Chipsats, the first card-size satellites with intersatellite communication capabilities. With launch and development costs of a constellation as little as €10,000, Chipsats enable ultra-low-cost space missions. 

Borgue’s design and qualification of space systems and the implementation of new technologies and mission scenarios aim to extend space access to lower-income countries and educational establishments.

In her current role as the Technical Lead and Microgravity Systems Engineer at Yuri GmbH, Borgue leads the development of Yuri’s ScienceTaxi, a commercial microgravity test platform for biological experiments.  

Outside of work, she contributes to the ISO/TC 172 Optics and Photonics/AHG group as an expert in developing VR/AR industrial standards. She also provides research and newsletter content for the Initiative for interstellar studies (I4is) and serves as a lecturer.

Having the ability to communicate with each other makes the miniature satellites, which weigh less than 30g, more suitable for complex space operations. They are designed for short missions and quickly burn in the atmosphere to prevent creating space debris.