pragmatic space engineering
Space exploration only makes sense if it serves humanity – not as an abstraction, but as people living on a finite planet who seek a future beyond it.
nihil.space is built on the belief that the path there runs through engineering that is reliable, sustainable, and cost-effective by principle.
That means designing things that work, being honest about constraints, and not spending more than necessary. It also means treating space as a shared commons and designing sustainably.
I speak on the intersection of human expansion into space, technology, and society – drawing on a background in space hardware engineering as well as academic training in sociology and psychology. Topics include the cultural and societal dimensions of space exploration, open-source approaches to space technology, and what it means to build space infrastructure that genuinely serves humanity.
If you are organising a conference, panel, or academic event, get in touch.
I'm Manuel, a space hardware engineer based in Bern, Switzerland. I work at the intersection of open-source culture and rigorous engineering – building hardware that flies, and making sure others can learn from it and build on it.
My background is unconventional: before moving into space hardware, I spent a decade running a film production company. That taught me how to communicate clearly, manage complexity, and keep people at the center of technical work – qualities I bring into every project. My academic background in sociology and psychology informs how I think about technology in its broader human context.
nihil.space is currently a focused, single-person practice. For projects that require broader expertise, I work with a trusted global network of space engineers who share the same commitment to quality and civilian use.
Build a CubeSat is a fully open-source CubeSat project documented on YouTube and hosted on Codeberg. Every design file, schematic, and decision is public – licensed under CERN OHL-S 2.0 and MIT.
Working on a space project and want to talk? Reach out.