TEAM
United under our common goal, Team Tumbleweed brings together members from all across the globe.
Wanting to build a Mars Rover is an ambitious undertaking – but dreaming big is what we do. Over the past years, what started in a small garage has grown into an intercontinental organization of bright and driven people rethinking the current approach to Mars exploration. In technical and organizational projects we work on designing, developing, and improving the next-generation Mars rover and everything around it.
Wanting to build a Mars Rover is an ambitious undertaking.
Especially for a team of young scientists without a head-start in the space industry – but dreaming big is what we do. Over the past years, what started in a small garage has grown into an intercontinental organization bright and driven people rethinking the current approach to Mars exploration. Our interdisciplinary team’s organizational and technical projects work on designing, developing, and improving the next-generation Mars rover and everything around it.
LEADERSHIP
The Teams
EXECUTIVE
Together with leadership, our executive team is responsible for keeping overhead on the various departments, creating strategies, goals, and structures. Bringing together all the different aspects of working on the Tumbleweed Mission, this team makes sure each project takes us one step further on our Road to Mars.
Tolga Ors
Head of Software Engineering
Michael Sandrieser
Transformation Coordinator
First Last
Head of Funding
PRODUCT COORDINATION & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
As developing a Mars rover requires a considerable amount of resources and financial support, the business team works hard to guarantee us the necessary funding, acting as a support entity for the other teams. They also work closely with our partners to ensure our collaborations run smoothly.
Supervisors: Julian Rothenbuchner & One Mikulskyte
Sjoerd Fijan
Business Member
İpek Doğan
PMO Manager
Marinos Podimatis
Business Planning Manager
Michael Sandrieser
FFG Project Manager
Julian Wahlmüller
Data Analyst
COMMUNICATIONS
As one of the few non-technical subteams, the Communications department is responsible for most of what you see of Team Tumbleweed around the internet. This includes producing content for and running our various social media accounts, as well as the website.
Supervisor: Maria João Azeredo
Peter Carvalho
Media Strategist
Garnet John
Content Creator
Rorisang Moyo
Content Creator
Austin Phillips
Content Creator
Amelie Finan
Content Creator
Danny Tjokrosetio
Location Representative Delft
PEOPLE AND OPERATIONS (HR)
The People and Operations team makes sure communication within the team runs smoothly. The subteam’s responsibilities include handling the recruiting process from application to onboarding and supporting us with any issues that may arise for members.
Supervisor: Leonhard Goliasch
Jacobus Fourie
PnC Manager
Nikola Lugonja
Contributor
Timon Schnauffer
Coach
SCIENCE
Science goals lie in the heart of the rationale of any deep space mission. Our science department defines science cases in the areas of atmospheric science, surface geology, interior geology and geophysics, astrobiology, and the preparation of human Mars exploration. The team’s ultimate goal is the delivery of a full mission proposal, including science goals, scientific requirements, and the definition, selection, and design of the required instruments to fulfill the mission’s scientific purposes.
Supervisor: James Kingsnorth
Mário Balsemão
Mission Scientist
Leonardo Bonanno
Mission Scientist
Luka Pikulić
Mission Scientist
Abhimanyu Shanbhag
Mission Scientist
ENGINEERING
Systems engineering is at the core of any space mission. This project formalizes earlier system engineering efforts by combining European space standards and utilizing Model-Based Systems Engineering approaches prevalent in the industry. Its importance lies in synchronizing all other technical projects and preparing upcoming Earth demonstration missions. Our mechanical and testing engineers are working to design and build a structurally rigid, foldable outer and inner structure for the Tumbleweed rover that is able to support the components from the other technical projects. It is crucial to improve, test, and verify the capabilities of a functional deployment mechanism, taking aerodynamics and possible obstacles into consideration.
Supervisor: Lucas Cohen
Guillaume Brault
Lead Rover Engineer
Rohit Roy Chowdhury
Engineer
Liana Gfrerer
Structural Engineer
Sabin Ilegitim
Engineer
Mikhail Maximchuk
Engineer
Nils Neumeister
Program Manager
Arun Osman
Engineer
Jakov Ostrouska
Engineer
Ben Placke
Lead Mechanical Engineer
Markus Renoldner
Contributor
Darius-Andrei Vicovan
Engineer
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
Our Research and Development department works on the various electrical and software engineering challenges posed by a rover traversing the Martian surface at high speeds and in a semi-controlled manner. This includes a space-grade computing architecture, position determination, the electrical power system, and the Transmit and Receive Module for communications.
Supervisors: Cristian Ferent and Tolga Ors
Patrik Ahola
Telecommunications Engineer
Carlos Castro Garcia
Telecommunications Engineer
Marcus Dyhr
Software Engineer
Tim Holthuijsen
Visual Odometry and Martian Simulation Lead
Abhimanyu Kovithal
Software Engineer
William Moretti
Contributor
Elemer San Miguel
Software Engineer