The young people were chosen from "more than 100 applications and 31 exclusive nominations from 13 countries", begins by explaining the National Space Program Management Office (GGPEN), in a statement published on its official website.
According to the note, the selection "involved a meticulous process of verification and classification by a team of five distinguished judges from five African countries, including Angola".
Vangilya Pereira, GGPEN's Assistant Director General for Technical and Scientific Affairs, who represented our country on the panel of judges, considered that this distinction means for Angola "another door to recognition of everything that has been done at the country level in the space area in order to become a reference, not only in Africa, but also in the world, both in terms of space infrastructure and in terms of training and capacity building of young professionals in space".
"I think that this initiative will have a great impact because it will encourage and galvanise young people to do their best in what is their potential and not lose focus on what they want to achieve," Vangilya Pereira added.
The award, called "Top 10 Under 30", was launched last year to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission to the moon. The award, organised by Nigerian space scientist and founder of Space in Africa, Temidayo Isaiah Oniosun, aims to recognise "engineers, scientists, business developers, researchers, policy advocates and scholars from Africa who have contributed, albeit simply, not only to the development of their country's space industry, but also to expanding knowledge in Africa's growing space sector".
"Angolans Bevania Martins and Marco Romero are part of the group of six GGPEN technicians who are taking master's degrees in space, in Toulose. It is worth noting that the opportunity for the technicians is the result of a partnership between the State, through the Ministry of Telecommunications, Information Technology and Media, with the French company Airbus, partner in the construction of the ANGOSAT-2 and 3 satellites, and Russia, as part of the ANGOSAT-1 compensations", the note states.
Bevania Martins is 28 years old, holds a bachelor's degree in computer applications from Punjab College of Technical Education at Punjab Technical University in India and is a member of the United Nations Space Generation Advisory Council. After completing her studies in India, she went to work for GGPEN as a Senior Ground Control Segment Specialist.
She is currently completing her Master's degree in Space Applications and Services at the Institute of Space Aeronautics in Toulouse. She recently founded a space startup focused on redefining space suits and is also working with "a group of young Africans to develop the African Cubesat which aims to provide training programs, workshops, tools and techniques to launch a Cubesat that has the collaboration of all African countries".
Marco Romero is an Aeronautical Engineer. At 29, he is certified in "Solar System Moon" by UK Open University and in "Mars Surviving Principles" by Monash University of Malaysia.
He also "participated in the construction of the first Angolan Satellite, the Angosat-1, and served in the Project Management Department of GGPEN". In addition, he joined the Angolan Space Program as an expert in Ballistic Navigation and Satellite Operations Support at the Sling Mission and Control Center.
He is currently pursuing an Advanced Master in Space Systems Engineering at the Instituto Superior de Aeronáutica do Espaço and works at Airbus Defense and Space.
See the complete list of winners here.
