Fredrik Engström studied physics, mathematics and astronomy at Stockholm University, where he obtained his Masters degree in 1964 and his PhD in 1971. He started his career as Project Manager with the Space Technology Group, where he was mainly involved in sounding rocket launchings. Between 1965 and 1970 he was an ESRO fellow at the Culham Laboratory in England and a Research Assistant at the Stockholm Observatory. In 1970 he joined Teleutredningar in Stockholm where he was involved in space projects. During his term of office, from 1972 to 1985, as President of the Swedish Space Corporation, he was behind the decision to undertake the first Swedish satellite project, Viking, and later the Nordic spacecraft, Tele-X, for direct broadcasting for business communications. He was also a Board Member of the Kiruna Geophysical Institute. It was largely due to his initiative that a daughter company of the Swedish Space Corporation, the Satellite Image Corporation in Kiruna, was set up in 1982. In parallel with his activities as President of the Swedish Space Corporation, he was also Chairman of the Board of the daughter company. Fredrik Engström had many contacts with the European Space Agency prior to his appointment as Director of Space Station and Platforms in 1985 (until 1994): from 1977 to 1979 he was Chairman of ESA’s Remote Sensing Programme Board, and from 1979 to 1985 he was Swedish delegate to the Council. Following the restructuring of the Agency, he was appointed Director of Launchers as of 1 April 1994 (until 15 Febr. 2001).