Who WE ARE

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Dr. Sanjay Vijendran is an experienced scientist, engineer and leader who until recently was leading the European Space Agency's groundbreaking SOLARIS Space-based Solar Power R&D Initiative, the establishment of which he had spearheaded at ESA in 2022. Through SOLARIS, he has received worldwide acclaim as one of the leading figures in the rapidly emerging field of Energy from Space, demonstrating strong technical, interpersonal and communication skills. 

With over a decade of prior experience in ESA's Mars Robotic Exploration Programme, Sanjay played a crucial role in planning and implementing major studies and technology development activities for future European robotic missions to Mars. He was instrumental in establishing the international partnership between ESA and NASA for the multi-billion dollar Mars Sample Return programme in 2019. 

Prior to his work at ESA, Dr. Vijendran developed instrumentation for NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander mission, which successfully touched down on Mars in 2008. His academic credentials include a PhD in Semiconductor Physics from the University of Cambridge, and he has published extensively on semiconductor devices, Mars exploration missions and Energy from Space. 

Dr. Vijendran's diverse expertise, spanning from planetary exploration to space-based renewable energy solutions, makes him a key figure in the advancement of space technology for addressing global challenges.

Lars Schellhas – Energy Integration Consultant, Schellhas Consulting

Lars Schellhas contributes to Space Energy Insights through Schellhas Consulting, offering independent consultancy in energy transition strategy, decarbonization pathways, and energy system integration.

With deep technical and market expertise, Lars has supported energy developers, start-ups, and established utilities across Europe and beyond in crafting scalable business models for renewable generation and energy storage. He specializes in multi-market revenue strategies, funding support, and aligning innovation with both terrestrial and space-based energy markets.

Previously, Lars worked at AFRY Management Consulting, where he led strategy and market-ready decarbonization analyses. He also contributed as an energy stakeholder representative to the ESA’s SOLARIS initiative, helping to bridge space-based solar innovation with real-world energy market dynamics.

He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Master’s degree in Energy Technology from RWTH Aachen University, focused on modeling disruptive technology trends and energy price dynamics.

Michael Khan is an experienced aerospace engineer and mission analyst with almost 40 years of professional experience in the space business, with industrial companies and the European Space Agency. He has been involved in or heading the mission analysis effort for numerous space missions from the fields of telecommunications, Earth observation, constellation design, planetary and minor body science, solar science, fundamental physics, human exploration and space-based solar power generation. 

He has been leading ESA's mission analysis effort for the ExoMars program and for the agency's minor body programs including the ongoing mission HERA. His work includes future-oriented topics such as multi-satellite communications and satellite navigation constellations, space debris mitigation and de-orbiting and the comparative analysis of various orbit types for constellations of spacecraft providing space-based solar power services. 

The wide diversity of Michael Khan's expertise makes him an asset when designing cutting-edge systems, where it is mandatory to leave the trodden path while still making full use of all available know-how. 

Dr Emily Baldwin is an independent communications consultant with an academic background in space science. 

Emily served as the European Space Agency’s senior space science editor for 12 years. She contributed to some of the Agency’s biggest communications successes, including the award-winning Rosetta and Juice mission campaigns. She still supports ESA’s communication team as a freelance writer with EJR-Quartz. 

Emily was previously Astronomy Now magazine’s deputy editor and social media editor, where she helped  grow the magazine’s online community. 

Emily launched her own company, North Star Content, in 2024, out of a passion for storytelling and content strategy. She is helping clients like Space Energy Insights define their communication goals, guiding them on how to use content to grow their audience and make an impact.