Michael Lambert

Engineer & Entrepreneur · Paris

Building hardware for
the next
generation of
space exploration

  • 30 rockets launched
  • 2 planetary missions
  • 2 startups
  • 10 years experience
’12 ’14 ’16 ’18 ’20 ’22 ’24 ’26
Study
University of Auckland University of Auckland
Te Wānanga o Raukawa
Work
Rocket Lab Rocket Lab
MaiaSpace
Norma
Founded
Spencer St.
P78 Space

Experience

P78 Space

Aug 2026 – Present

Co-founder

August 2026 – Present

  • Developing modern propulsion for the next generation of spaceflight.

Spencer St.

Dec 2024 – Present

Co-founder & Developer

December 2024 – Present · 1 yr 7 mos

  • Building Prompt, a social, social media app — beta released on TestFlight.
Spencer St. — Co-founder & DeveloperSpencer St. — Co-founder & DeveloperSpencer St. — Co-founder & Developer

Norma

May 2025 – Jul 2026

Senior Mechanical Engineer

May 2025 – July 2026 · 1 yr 2 mos · Paris, France

  • Led the mechanical design and development of a novel Direct Air Capture (DAC) system.
  • Drove end-to-end prototyping and hardware iteration.
  • Performed mechanical simulation and system modelling, validating performance and reliability through testing.
  • Managed cross-functional timelines from concept to deployment.
  • Developed in-house tools for experiment automation and data analysis.

MaiaSpace

Feb 2024 – May 2025

Propulsion Systems Engineer

February 2024 – May 2025 · 1 yr 4 mos

  • Designed the kick-stage propulsion system and RCS.
  • Designed and simulated the first- and second-stage RCS systems for the ascent and landing phases.

Rocket Lab

6 yrs 9 mos

Senior Mechanical Development Engineer

March 2021 – April 2023 · 2 yrs 2 mos

  • Led development of the Photon fluid system for the CAPSTONE lunar mission, qualifying it within two years.
  • Contributed to CAPSTONE's successful launch on 28 June 2022; the spacecraft is now in lunar orbit.
  • Led design of the RCS system for NASA's ESCAPADE mission (launched 2025) to study the Martian magnetosphere.
Rocket Lab — Senior Mechanical Development EngineerRocket Lab — Senior Mechanical Development EngineerRocket Lab — Senior Mechanical Development Engineer

Vehicle Test Engineer II

February 2019 – March 2021 · 2 yrs 2 mos · Auckland, New Zealand

  • Led Electron integration and checkouts at Rocket Lab's Launch Complex 1 in Mahia — payload integration, high-level vehicle checkouts, and vehicle readiness.
  • From early 2020, led development of the Photon fluids and RCS systems for the CAPSTONE lunar mission, developing and qualifying an RCS system and its components in-house for testing on the Pathstone mission in March 2021.
  • Worked closely with a design engineer and technician to take the system from concept to flight-ready in 12 months, alongside the rest of the CAPSTONE fluids system — fluidic components and propellant-management systems.
Rocket Lab — Vehicle Test Engineer IIRocket Lab — Vehicle Test Engineer IIRocket Lab — Vehicle Test Engineer II

Test Engineer

November 2016 – February 2019 · 2 yrs 4 mos

  • Conducted comprehensive testing of Electron hardware — structures, mechanisms, and fluid systems.
  • Designed and built custom test hardware in a fast-paced environment to meet project needs.
  • Executed random-vibration and environmental-loads testing to verify component reliability.
  • Contributed to payload-deployment and fairing-jettison testing.
Rocket Lab — Test EngineerRocket Lab — Test EngineerRocket Lab — Test Engineer

Junior Vehicle Test Engineer

August 2016 – November 2016 · 4 mos

  • Random-vibration testing, modal analysis, and quasi-static testing.

Education