RAFAEL FONSECA
Profile:
Electronics and telecommunications engineer with hands-on experience in aerospace hardware development and space-grade system integration. At Exobiosphere, Rafael serves as AIT Engineer, leading the assembly, integration, and testing of the Orbital High-Throughput Screener (OHTS) - the company's flagship automated biology platform designed for microgravity drug discovery. His work spans the full hardware build cycle: component integration, subsystem verification, environmental testing, and qualification model manufacturing. He is currently overseeing the parallel build and delivery of two additional ground units while providing on-site engineering support across hardware commissioning, troubleshooting, and field testing campaigns.
Work History:
2025 - CURRENT: EXOBIOSPHERE | LUXEMBOURGAIT Engineer
Responsible for the assembly, integration, and testing (AIT) of the Orbital High-Throughput Screener (OHTS) - hands-on hardware build cycle: component integration, subsystem verification and environmental testing. Currently working on the manufacturing and integration of the OHTS qualification model, alongside the parallel build and delivery of two more ground units. Also providing on-site engineering support, covering hardware commissioning, troubleshooting, and field testing to ensure reliable system operation throughout each campaign.
2024 - 2025: Redwire Space Europe | Gasperich, LuxembourgElectronics Engineer – Intern
Working within a leading aerospace hardware company, Rafael designed, tested, and optimised electronic systems for space applications under the mentorship of senior engineers. He contributed to robotics software-hardware development and integration, including a robotic arm project, and carried out PCB assembly, soldering, and the fabrication of custom wiring harnesses. Throughout the role he collaborated in cross-functional teams and adopted industry-standard aerospace tools and methodologies.
2023 - 2023: Liangdao GmbH | Munich, GermanyEmbedded Software Developer – MSc Intern
Developed and optimised embedded firmware in C/C++ for microcontrollers including the Infineon Aurix platform, with a focus on low-latency and resource-efficient performance. Designed and implemented vehicle communication interfaces — CAN, LIN, UART, SPI/I2C — to enable data exchange between ECUs and sensors, and integrated hardware-software communication protocols for clock synchronisation across multiple microcontrollers over Ethernet using an external real-time GNSS reference signal (PTP). Conducted HIL and SIL validation testing for timing-critical operations.
2019 - 2019: Plan-C Technologies | Viseu, PortugalField Applications Technician
Integrated and configured home automation, audiovisual, safety, and CCTV systems across client installations.
2018 - 2019: ITELA | Arlon, BelgiumEDUcation:
University of Aveiro, Portugal MSc, Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering