As a customer mission lead at French launcher Latitude, Clémence Cambourian turns rocket concepts into real missions—while keeping customers at the center.
“I really loved accompanying them, from the idea of the project… to seeing it concretized at the launch,” she told Payload. Trained as an engineer, Cambourian now bridges technical knowhow and customer mission leadership, by guiding satellite operators through every step of the launch journey.
“[Cambourian] is under 30 years old, but has had many lives already in the space sector,” said Pierre Nowacki, business development lead at Latitude, who nominated Cambourian for the award. “She manages all mission-related aspects, and is currently bringing our first customer (CNES) to their launch with a lot of professionalism.”
From engineering to mission leadership: Cambourian joined Latitude’s subsidiary Astreos in 2021. After initially focusing on operations, she quickly moved into customer-facing work and fell in love with talking with clients to discover their needs. Her curiosity propelled her from COO of Astreos, to mission management at Latitude in 2023.
Mission management in action: Today, Cambourian balances mission management and technical sales. “I’m trying to do the bonds between the two worlds… so the customer gets what we’re building, and we deliver what they expect,” she said. She ensures that what is promised aligns with what the team can deliver.
A milestone moment: Cambourian highlighted Latitude’s contract with CNES, the French space agency. “I know exactly what the mission is going to be, and we can exchange for real the mission-management aspects,” she said. She’s especially excited about the first launches carrying real satellites.
CNES signed a contract with Latitude in March 2024, to be among the first customers to launch a satellite aboard Latitude’s Zephyr launch vehicle in 2026.
“The day we realize the rocket is on the launch pad… even if it explodes, it’s going to be an amazing explosion. But when we have a real satellite on it, my job is getting real now,” Cambourian said.
Advice for aspiring leaders: Her guidance for engineers stepping into customer or mission roles is simple: Try it. “Even if it doesn’t work, you can go back to technical subjects—it’s fine. They have to try it. Otherwise they will regret it,” she said.
