Bryn Orth-Lashley
MDA
Systems Engineer
Bryn is a Systems Engineer on the MDA Flight Operations team that operates the recently launched RADARSAT Constellation Mission (RCM), a trio of Earth observation satellites built by MDA for the Canadian Space Agency. After entering the space industry in 2015 developing software for an International Space Station payload in the UK, he joined MDA in 2017 during a critical phase in RCM development. He started work in Vancouver as a Mission Engineer validating that the spacecraft and system met the requirements of the mission prior to launch and then moved to Montreal to support the Operations Development team, writing software and procedures to control the satellites and exercising operational scenarios to ensure in-orbit success.
On June 12 RCM was launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base. Bryn was the Mission Planning Lead for the Launch and Early Operations phase, the period when the satellites are deployed in orbit to prepare for imaging. He then became the Commissioning Coordinator, responsible for leading the in-orbit satellite tests to prepare the system for image orders from government users.
Bryn obtained a B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Astrophysics from the University of Toronto, where his research focused on exoplanet atmospheres, before obtaining a M.Sc. in Space Science and Engineering from UCL. Beyond the space industry, he enjoys science public outreach, travelling, kayaking, skiing, playing the piano, and performing in musical theatre.