Space Machines Company (SMC), which is developing “roadside assistance” capabilities for satellites, has announced the appointment of Shane Albances as the new vice president of Engineering, as the company continues to scale up and expand their team.
Alabances brings 24 years of engineering and leadership experience, most recently at Nanosonics and Cochlear where he managed manufacturing and global engineering teams. At SMC, he will lead the engineering team developing the MAITRI mission, scheduled for 2026.
Growing up, Alabances was always fascinated by space and engineering technology, initially setting his sights on studying aeronautical engineering at university. However, he found himself offered a University placement in Biomedical Engineering, where he could apply multidisciplinary engineering principles to create innovative solutions for both implantable and external medical devices. “I’m incredibly passionate about engineering and finding solutions for challenging problems whilst also wanting to feel connected to the company’s mission,” said Albances. Joining Space Machines Company, I view my role as bridging our current position in the sector with our future aspirations through engineering solutions. The company is at the forefront of pushing boundaries in space technology and the global space ecosystem, which is what drew me to them.”
Alabances will be utilising his experience and providing leadership and engineering guidance across the multidisciplinary engineering team towards SMC’s MAITRI mission in 2026. He will support the team in demonstrating the capabilities in delivering the technology solutions, and build a roadmap towards adding functionality and capability as the company grows.
Rajat Kulshrestha, CEO and Co-Founder of Space Machines Company said: “Welcoming Shane to the SMC team has been a real pleasure. We’re excited to witness Shane’s experience and skillset in action, guiding our team as they build and scale highly valuable satellites and helping execute missions both technically and strategically. We appointed Shane with confidence, knowing that he aligns with the company’s mission and objectives as we focus on advancing our engineering and space capabilities both locally and globally.”
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