Spotlight on ...

Matthew Stuttard

Matthew joined the Space Professionals Partnership network in January 2024. He has already provided support to the partnership, joining the assessment team for the Aqualunar challenge stage 1 where applicants presented early-stage ideas for purifying water from the moon’s regolith.

Matthew is the director of MStar Space Ltd having already had a long career in the space industry since 1986. His first space job as a lecturer in Applied Remote Sensing included managing a satellite image processing suite and image archive stored on magnetic tape reels. In the 1990s he worked on EO applications software in several UK SMEs – this included making the world’s first global vegetation fire map from AVHRR images. In 2002 he started with CGI (then known as Logica) where he got involved with Eumetsat, ESRIN, launch safety systems, marine charting and also became Chairman of the British Association of Remote Sensing Companies. In 2006 he was headhunted by Astrium, (now Airbus Defence and Space) as Head of Space Science Future Programmes. His first assignment was laying ground to bring the Solar Orbiter prime contract into the UK. Matthew’s role was expanded to include Exploration missions (Mars rovers and lunar payloads) and space weather.

He was involved in developing and promoting early concepts that led to UKSA supporting the Vigil mission which is now on track to implementation. In 2012 Matthew was scouted for a new Airbus UK role as Head of Advanced Concepts in Space Systems. This involved developing innovative mission and business concepts around space debris removal, UK small launch, radiation protection and in-space assembly of large satcom antennas.  A highlight was to conceive, win and run the Vast Satcom Antenna project with a UKSA grant. In 2019 Matthew was promoted to head up Airbus Space Systems R&D in the UK encompassing satcom (RF, optical), EO (SAR, hyper spectral) and spacecraft platform technologies.

Matthew has developed many complex business cases and been involved in over 400 proposals from £50k to >£1Bn as manager, contributor, win-theme owner, reviewer, coach or bid trainer.  After retiring from Airbus Defence and Space in 2023, Matthew set up his own company MStar Space Ltd in order to provide impartial/independent advice to the space industry.