Speakers

With more than 30 years of experience working in senior management roles at leading IT and telecommunication companies, Adel Al-Saleh was appointed Chief Executive Officer of SES in February 2024.

Adel joined SES from T-Systems, the IT subsidiary of leading European Telecommunication provider Deutsche Telekom, where he was CEO since 2018. He was also a Board Member of Deutsche Telekom. Before that, he was the CEO for Northgate Information Solutions (NIS) Group from 2011-2018. Adel also held a variety of senior leadership roles at IMS Health and IBM for the first 25 years of his professional life.

Adel graduated from Boston University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering and holds a Master of Business Administration from Florida Atlantic University. Adel is a US and UK national.

M. Brian Barnett is a serial entrepreneur with over 30 years’ experience in commercial space, and the mobile satellite services industry. He is Founder and CEO of Solstar Space, the company making persistent on-orbit space Wi-Fi and communications available. Solstar’s Space WiFi has been demonstrated twice aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard crew capsule providing WiFi and satellite internet connectivity during suborbital flights.

Solstar is working with commercial space companies, international space agencies and government organizations, and their contractors, to further the development and deployment of space WiFi and communicators for a broad range of Low Earth Orbit (LEO), cislunar, and lunar surface use cases.

Mr. Barnett began his career at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center where he provided Space Shuttle payload development and integration services at the Payloads Project Office. He trained as a Crew Interface Coordinator as he provided astronaut crew training in the Mission Operations Laboratory for Spacelab missions. At Johnson Space Center (JSC), he worked in the Missions Operations Directorate, and later worked on JSC’s 1992 Strategic Plan which included precursor planning to Artemis. He also managed a contract to document all Space Shuttle operations processes as directed by Congress after the Challenger accident. Later, as a management consultant for KPMG’s Space and High Technology group, he wrote dozens of business plans and market assessments for commercial space companies. This is the group that very early-on and accurately, predicted that GPS applications would grow into the huge market it is today. Barnett led the Team that wrote the initial business plan and helped identify the best location for the spaceport that eventually became Spaceport America in New Mexico.

Solstar Space is his third commercial space start-up. He earned a B.S. in microbiology from the University of Oklahoma, a master’s in administrative science and project management from the University of Alabama in Huntsville, and is a graduate of the International Space University. Mr. Barnett is a classically trained rock drummer and percussionist. Known as the Space Drummer, Barnett is drummer and producer of DrumsAstro®, a band and production company promoting the Arts in Space.

Michael is the CEO of NOVI.
Through his career, Michael has run businesses and companies across diverse sectors including aerospace, advanced materials, energy and electronics. He has served as an independent director at one public, NASDAQ-listed, and four private companies. He worked on the NASA space shuttle Super Light Weight Tank program and received a doctoral degree in materials engineering sponsored by the Air Force Office for Scientific Research. He is an Inventor named on 27 patents and author of 12 technical publications in peer reviewed journals.

Tom Barton is the CEO and Co-Founder of Antaris™. Prior to Antaris™, Tom served as the COO at PlanetLabs. He oversaw organizational development including the hiring of CTO Karthik Govindhasamy as well as the CFO, SVP of Marketing, and Chief Revenue Officer. During his tenure, the company launched the first large-scale imaging constellations and acquired the high-resolution satellite business from Google/TerraBella/Skybox. Tom has held multiple CEO roles, including Rackable Systems (ultimately acquired by HPE). Rackable delivered server and storage solutions to hyperscalers, including the first implementations of AWS EC2 and S3 cloud offerings. He took Rackable public in 2005, which was one of the technology industry’s most successful IPOs that year. Tom also held senior leadership roles at open-source pioneers Cygnus Solutions and Red Hat.

Marc Bell is the Co-Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer of Terran Orbital Corporation (NYSE: LLAP), a global leader in satellite-based solutions primarily serving the aerospace and defense industries. Terran Orbital provides end-to-end satellite solutions by combining satellite design, production, launch planning, mission operations, and on-orbit support to meet the needs of the most demanding military, civil, and commercial customers.
Bell is an accomplished entrepreneur with a wide-spanning career. In 2007, Bell took a $250 million SPAC public, acquiring mortgage REIT startup Armour Residential REIT (NYSE: ARR). Armour today holds over $10 billion worth of mortgage-backed securities in its portfolio. Before Armour, Bell began his career in 1989 as the founder of Globix: The Global Internet Exchange. Globix was an Internet Infrastructure company with over 28,000 miles of fiber and over 1 million square feet of Data Center Space globally.
Bell is an avid Broadway producer with three Tony Award-winning Broadway shows: Grammy Award-winning Jersey Boys (Tony for Best Musical), Pulitzer Prize-winning August Osage County (Tony for Best Play), and Stereophonic, a play with the most Tony nominations in history (Tony for Best Play).
In addition, Bell is a member of the NYU Board of Trustees, NYU Langone Health Board of Overseers, NYU Schack Advisory Board, and the NYU College of Arts and Science Dean’s Advisory Council. He also serves on the board of SOS Children’s Villages Florida.
Bell holds a Master of Science degree from New York University and a Bachelor of Science degree from Babson College. He is also a National War College Alumni Association National Security Fellow at the National War College, which is part of the National Defense University.

Dr. Bryan Benedict serves as Senior Director of Innovation & Spacecraft Programs at SES Space & Defense. During his career he has worked extensively within the commercial industry, DoD and US Civil Agencies to socialize the advantages of hosting payloads on commercial spacecraft. Additionally, Dr. Benedict has been a key advocate in the commercial industry for the use of space robotics for both recovery and life extension of geosynchronous satellites. Dr. Benedict has been awarded a number of patents throughout his career – the latest for delivery of microsatellites to orbit piggybacking on the nadir deck of geosynchronous communication satellites.

Curt Blake is Senior Of Counsel in the Seattle office of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, where he is a member of the corporate practice. Curt is an attorney and senior executive with more than 25 years of experience leading organizations in high-growth industries—and over 10 years as CEO of Spaceflight, Inc.—at the forefront of the NewSpace revolution. He has extensive expertise in strategic planning, financial analysis, legal strategy, M&A, and space commercialization, with deep knowledge about the unique challenges of NewSpace growth and the roadmap to success in the that ecosystem.

He has forged relationships with key commercial, civilian, and defense-related customers. Milestones include opening the Indian PSLV to U.S. commercial customers, the first dedicated rideshare Falcon 9 launch vehicle mission deploying a then-record 64 satellites, and launching the first non-governmental mission to the moon (SpaceIL), as well as developing, launching, and orbiting several flavors of Sherpa, the Spaceflight OTV.

John Borrego is a veteran of manufacturing operations and production, and is a subject matter expert in the manufacturing of propellant tanks used for in-space applications. In his current role as vice president of operations at Machina Labs, he oversees production, quality assurance, and manufacturing engineering. Prior to joining Machina Labs, John was head of operations at Industrial Electronic Engineers (IEE), a manufacturer of enhanced displays to the military. Additional aerospace experience includes Operations Manager at Northrop Grumman (Previously ATK Space Components) that built propulsion tanks for in-space applications, and as a Flight Systems manager and Propulsion Manufacturing Engineer at SpaceX developing the second stage nozzle extension used on the Falcon 9 Launch Vehicle.

Mr. Burgess is vice president and general manager of the Space Systems Division at General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS). Mr. Burgess is responsible for the operational execution and growth management of an expanding portfolio of miniature, small and medium satellite system solutions, and high performance space optical payloads across GA-EMS facilities located in Colorado, Massachusetts, Virginia, Alabama and California. Mr. Burgess’ expertise in designing and delivering satellite programs and developing space technology innovations drives the company’s capabilities to deliver critical mission solutions for national security, science and weather missions, and laser communications.

Mr. Burgess joined GA-EMS after serving as chief technology officer at Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) Space Systems, and as vice president of Business Development at SNC’s ISR Aviation and Security Sector. Previously, he led the National Security Space division at the former Orbital Sciences Corporation, developing satellite and ground communication systems for the US Government, including GSSAP, ANGELS, EAGLE, MiTEx, and the CHIRP hosted payload.
Mr. Burgess holds an MS and BS in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is a graduate of the General Manager’s Program at Harvard Business School and is an associate fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). Mr. Burgess is a published author and holds a patent on “Method and System for Formation-Keeping Between Orbiting Spacecraft by Varying their Ballistic Coefficients.” He is a member of several boards, including Chairman of the Aerospace Engineering Sciences External Advisory Board at the University of Colorado Boulder.

François Chopard is the Founder & CEO of Starburst Aerospace. A distinguished aerospace engineer, strategy advisor, founder, and venture capitalist, he has played a pivotal role in shaping today’s global Aerospace and Defense (A&D) industry and bringing aerospace to the forefront of conversation. With over 20 years of experience in strategy consulting, entrepreneurship, and business development, Chopard specializes in Aviation, Space, and Defense, featuring high stakes technologies.

In 2012, Chopard founded Starburst Aerospace, an aerospace management consultancy and the first global accelerator designed to guide aerospace startups from ideation to growth. Starburst specializes in three core areas with a focus on helping A&D stakeholders innovate, navigate and invest in the dynamic ecosystem: strategy and innovation consulting for corporate and government industry majors, tailored maturity-based startup acceleration programs, and investment support. In 2022, Chopard launched Starburst Ventures, an independent US-based venture capital fund exclusively dedicated to investing across Aviation, Space, and Defense.

As a widely respected industry veteran, Chopard has been asked to lend his aerospace expertise on a range of issues such as urban mobility, the future of transportation, and investing in aerospace. He is a renowned speaker, having been featured at major conferences like the World Economic Forum in Davos, where he offers insights into the future of aerospace innovation. Chopard’s current endeavors surround future trends, product strategy, and open innovation.

Prior to establishing Starburst, Chopard served as a Partner at Oliver Wyman France. He also founded and was the CEO of Arendi Consulting. He began his career as an Airbus Engineer before spending two years in the US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). Chopard holds a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from CentraleSupélec in Paris, France.

Don Claussen is Chief Executive Officer of ST Engineering iDirect, a global leader in satellite communications (satcom).

Prior to joining ST Engineering iDirect, Claussen was a Vice President at Intelsat General Corporation responsible for strategy, business development, product management and service delivery. During his tenure at Intelsat General Corporation, he aligned the Product Development and Service Delivery teams to launch a Multi-Orbit SATCOM capability providing end users seamless access to GEO and LEO SATCOM services from a single user interface.

With over 15 years of technology leadership positions, Claussen served as a general manager of portfolio businesses at Viasat and L3Harris Technologies where he successfully led business growth, organizational change, and business integration. He also has held technical positions in various technology companies and has designed and deployed SATCOM systems for commercial and government customers.

A veteran of the U.S. Army with eight years of active service, Claussen holds an MBA from Northeastern University and a Bachelor of Science Degree from Colorado Technical University in Business Administration & Management, and has attended Executive Leadership Courses at the University of Southern California and the University of Pennsylvania.

Kevin Cohen serves as Commercial Director of the direct-to-device business at Viasat, Inc. He is responsible for the Company’s direct-to-device initiative, which will utilize Viasat’s L-band capabilities as well as partner satellite operator networks. This initiative is designed to provide consumers, enterprises and the automotive industry with connectivity options in cellular dead zones, utilizing standards based cellular solutions over satellite.

During his 16-year tenure, he has held multiple positions from engineering to project and product management, business development and general manager for Viasat’s government systems and consumer services. In 2016, Kevin successfully launched Viasat’s Community Internet service across unserved and underserved communities across Nigeria, Mexico, Guatemala, and Brazil. Today, Viasat’s residential, business internet and Prepaid Internet offerings connect thousands of Latin American consumers and help close the region’s digital gap.

Kevin studied Mechanical Engineering at the University of Michigan and earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from San Diego State University. He is fluent in Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese and speaks Turkish, Russian and French.

Mike Collett is Founder and Managing Partner of Promus Ventures. Since its inception in 2012, Promus Ventures invests in DeepTech early-stage startups, with offices in Chicago, San Francisco and Luxembourg. Mike has been a venture capital investor for over 20 years. Mike has invested in over 100 startups, including Rocket Lab, AngelList, Whoop, Mapbox, ICEYE, Bellabeat, FLYR, Kensho, Swift Navigation, Spire Global and others.
Prior to Promus Ventures, Mike was Founder and Managing Partner of Masters Capital Nanotechnology Fund, a venture capital firm. While working at Masters Capital, a hedge fund, Mike invested in software and hardware startups. Prior to venture capital, Mike was a Vice President in Merrill Lynch’s Mergers & Acquisitions group.
Mike holds a BA in Math and BA in English from Vanderbilt University. He also holds a MBA in Finance from Washington University in St. Louis.
Mike and his wife Paige have four children and live in Chicago.

Carol Craig, founder and CEO of Sidus Space, has a pioneering history – the first female founder and owner of a space-based company to go public (NASDAQ: SIDU), one of the first women eligible to fly in combat aircraft in the U.S. Navy as a Naval Flight Officer, one of the first female Naval aviators to complete Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (SERE) School at CENSECFOR Detachment SERE West, and the first female aviator in her P-3 Orion squadron. She and her companies play a part in many major space projects including hardware implementation on the International Space Station and manufacturing support roles for the NASA Artemis I mission.

A self-described “astropreneur”, prior to founding Sidus Space, Craig’s namesake firm, Craig Technologies, was established as an aerospace and defense contracting company and is recognized throughout the U.S. government.

An engineer by trade, Craig provided software design and development for military aircraft cockpit systems preceding her Naval service and instruction of flight planning software for the U.S. Navy Strike Fighter Weapons School post-service.

Craig sets aside a significant amount of time to give back through mentorship, volunteerism, and committing to the strong company culture of “Sidus Serves.” Over the past 12 years, Craig has held positions on 30+ boards and locally has been part of the Space Coast Junior Achievement (JA) since 2008.

After leading software research and development for over two decades, Jimi is the founder & CTO of Orbital Insight. Orbital Insight helps business and policy decision-makers understand economic and societal trends through geospatial analytics. His corporate focus is to develop artificial intelligence, machine learning, and computer vision, creating a new source of market data for diverse industries.

Before a successful $1B Monsanto acquisition, Jimi was the SVP of Science and Engineering at the Climate Corporation. Prior to that, he was CTO and Software Architect at Moon Express whose goal was putting the first commercial robot on the moon. As the Engineering Director for Google Book Search, he was in charge of Google’s project to scan, index, and make searchable all the world’s books. As EVP of Engineering at Composite Software, he led product development around data visualization.

At Nasa Ames Research Center, Jimi led Autonomy and Robotics projects and authored over 15 peer-reviewed publications, resulting in five patents. Jimi earned his Ph.D. and Master’s degrees in Computer Science from the University of Texas at Austin, and BA in Math and Computer Science from Rice University.

He has a long-term interest in photography which led him, most recently, to eastern Idaho to photograph the August total eclipse.

Nathan de Ruiter is the Partner & Managing Director of Novaspace, merger of Euroconsult Group and SpaceTec Partners. Since joining the team in 2011, he has advised a wide range of Canadian and international clients including satellite operators, manufacturers, equipment providers, service providers and government agencies, private equity and financial institutions.

Nathan plays an integral role in contributing to the successful execution of client engagements through the development of project management, quality assurance and professional consulting and research methodologies. Over the last ten years, Nathan has managed and contributed to more than 100 consulting missions including ABS, Harris Corporation, Inmarsat, Kymeta, Measat, Carlyle Group, KKR, Ex-Im Bank, Export Development Canada, and Canadian Space Agency. His speciality lies in commercial due diligence, market analysis, financial forecasting and strategic planning. Nathan also leads executive workshops in the satellite communications domain.

Nathan is also the Editor of Novaspace’s research reports on satellite communications such as Satellite Connectivity and Video Market and High Throughput Satellites: Vertical Market Analysis and Forecasts.

Prior to Novaspace, Nathan was Senior Manager at S.M. International Financial Advisory, a boutique advisory firm dedicated to the infrastructure sector. Nathan also worked at a seed capital firm, Neotech Capital, which invests in new media and telecom start-ups.

Ronald J. Epstein is a managing director in Americas Equity Research covering Aerospace/Defense and Multi-Industrials with large aerospace components. He is based in New York and covers companies listed in the United States, Canada and Brazil. He joined Merrill Lynch in 2001.

In the Institutional Investor All-America Research poll, he was ranked as a top-three analyst in Aerospace & Defense Electronics for the last 13 years and #1 for the last seven years. He is a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society and is also a mentor for the Techstars Space Accelerator. He is frequently cited as an industry authority by trade and news publications and has appeared on numerous television programs. Previously, he worked as a research scientist in applied aerodynamics technology at Boeing Phantom Works. He was also an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis, teaching fluid dynamics and control systems.

Dr. Epstein has a BA with highest honors from Skidmore College, an MBA with honors from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and a PhD in mechanical engineering from Duke University.

Ron, his wife Catherine and their three children, Henry, Catherine and Oliver, reside in Chatham, NJ.

Lisa Dreher is Managing Director of GuideForce (guideforce.com), a marketing and media relations consulting firm founded in 2018. She brings over 25 years business development, product management, public relations, and marketing leadership experience to the tech, space, deep sea, and sustainability organizations GuideForce works with. As host of The Startup Leaders Show, she leads quick-hit 20-minute live interviews that give us the opportunity to learn lessons from leading startup founders and executives. Lisa also served as President and a board member of the Mobile Satellite Users Association (msua.org) for many years.

GuideForce has helped startups and established enterprises grow faster and define clear paths to profitable revenue. The company partners with CEOs and executives to navigate the startup through enterprise evolution and the development of partner ecosystems to scale their businesses faster.

Ron Faith is a serial entrepreneur returning to the space industry after stints in cloud computing and mobile commerce. Most recently Ron was the CEO of Datacastle, a cloud based endpoint data protection company acquired by Carbonite last year. Prior to Datacastle, Ron worked at Apple Computer where he launched Apple’s first standalone Internet product in the mid-90’s. Ron is a published author and patent owner. Ron graduated from the University of Washington with a Masters of Science in Electrical Engineering where he performed research for Boeing’s Aerospace and Defense group in frequency selective surfaces. Ron attained his Bachelors degree from Dartmouth College where he double-majored in Engineering Sciences and Philosophy.  

Tim Farrar has over 30 years consulting experience across the telecom and satellite industries, having worked for leading technical and strategy consultancies in both the UK and US. He has an M.A. and a Ph.D. in mathematics from Trinity College, Cambridge, and since 2002 has run his own consulting company, Telecom, Media and Finance Associates, Inc., based in Menlo Park, CA, which specializes in the technical and financial analysis of wireless and satellite ventures. Tim has worked for numerous operators, suppliers and investors, including several prominent Silicon Valley companies, on market analysis, business planning, product requirements specification and due diligence assignments across the satellite and telecom sectors.

He was President of the Mobile Satellite Users Association (MSUA) from 2006 to 2015 and from 2010 until 2014 served as an independent board member for NTS, Inc., a publicly traded CLEC, based in Lubbock, TX. Since 2016 he has been an independent director of Marlink, the largest independent distributor of satellite services to the maritime industry.

Julián Fernández is the CEO and Co-Founder of FOSSA Systems, the Spanish company democratizing mass access to interoperable low-power IoT devices from space which has already launched 17 satellites into Space. Julián has experience in LoRa communications, IoT deployments and space infrastructure, having launched the first Spanish picosatellite FOSSASAT-1 in 2019 at the age of 16 and later founding FOSSA Systems as a company at 17. He was chosen as a Forbes 30 under 30 in 2022 and as one of the Top 105 NewSpace Executives. He has a background in telecommunications engineering, LPWAN technologies and currently manages a team of 25 people.

Israel joined Firefly in August 2022 bringing over 22 years of experience in the Department of Defense (DoD) and National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) leading high- performing teams as a space systems defense acquisition manager. Background includes diverse leadership roles in multiples organizations including as Service Operations Division Chief responsible for the integration and operations of NRO communications systems valued at $3.1B, as Senior Launch Acquisition Advisor to the Office of Space Launch developing multi-million-dollar acquisition strategies to launch Intelligence Community (IC) satellites and Chief Engineer of the Delta II Launch vehicle at the Launch and Range Systems Wing, Space and Missiles Systems Center in Los Angeles, CA. Israel holds an ME in Engineering Management from the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs and a BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez.

Dr. Diana Gamzina is the founder and CEO of Elve, an innovative company at the forefront of millimeter wave technology.

Dr. Gamzina is responsible for the leadership and strategic direction of Elve, guiding the company in its mission to innovate and deliver advanced amplifier solutions for ground and space communications, imaging, radar, energy, and defense markets. Dr. Gamzina has been instrumental in positioning Elve as a key player in state-of-the-art technologies that enable growth of commercial telecom markets and support deployments essential for national security applications.

Prior to Elve, Dr. Gamzina was a staff scientist at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory for five years and a development engineer at the UC Davis millimeter-wave research group for over eight years. She has led research and development programs in micro to nano scale as well as additive manufacturing techniques, multiscale multifunctional materials synthesis, and thermo-mechanical design and analysis for development of compact high frequency and high-power RF sources.

Dr. Gamzina earned a M.S. and Ph.D. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, has received the Early Career Research Award from the U.S. Department of Energy, and holds thirteen patents related to the manufacture of vacuum electronic devices.

Markus Geiss is a Business Leader, Engineer and NewSpace Advocate with over 10 years of international experience in the Space sector, reaching from academia to large system integrators and NewSpace startups.

Currently, Markus is the Commercial Director at DCUBED, where he’s responsible for overseeing all commercial activities and expanding the business globally. Before joining DCUBED, Markus was a systems engineer and project manager at OHB in Munich, Germany. Furthermore, he is the co-founder of Hopstronautix and SpaceBrewery, promoting awareness, outreach and excitement for Space.

Markus Geiss holds a Master’s and PhD in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Colorado Boulder and he’s a graduate of the International Space University’s Space Studies Program. Moreover, Markus holds a Bachelor’s from the University of Applied Sciences in Munich where he completed a dual studies program together with Airbus Defence and Space.

Mr. Gelerman, President and Chief Executive Officer of SpaceBridge Inc, is a visionary engineer, innovator and businessman with over 40 years of experience in the telecommunications industry.

Prior to founding SpaceBridge, Mr. Gelerman held various management and design engineering positions at Nortel Networks, where he oversaw the development of several multibillion-dollar microwave terrestrial radio systems. In 1988, Mr. Gelerman founded Advantech Wireless Inc. At the helm of Advantech Wireless as President and Chief Executive Officer, he steered the company from humble start-up to dominant global player in the satellite ground communication business, both in radio frequency and networking.

In 2018, following the acquisition of Advantech’s radio frequency division by a third party, Advantech Wireless continued its VSAT and modems business, rebranding to SpaceBridge Inc. Through organic growth and acquisition, the company has today become one of the largest exporters in Quebec. Forging ahead in the Satellite Networking industry, Mr. Gelerman keeps in tradition with continued strength as a best-in-class industry leader, pushing the pace of innovation with one of the most advanced VSAT satellite network platforms.

Mr. Gelerman holds a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering (MSEE), specializing in Wireless Communications and Broadcasting.

Tina Ghataore joined Aerospacelab in August 2023 as Group Chief Strategy and Revenue Officer, and CEO of Aerospacelab’s new North American branch. Prior to joining the fast-growing international startup specialized in designing, manufacturing and operating small satellites, Tina served as Chief Commercial Officer of Mynaric and President of Mynaric USA where she led the company’s efforts to position Mynaric as the preferred laser communication provider for aerospace application for both government and commercial markets. In 2022, Tina’s contribution to the aerospace industry was recognized by both the public and industry peers alike when she was voted Via Satellite’s “Satellite Executive of the Year”, accepting her award in front of a select audience at the industry’s leading annual conference ‘Satellite 2022’. Before Mynaric, she was the Executive Vice President of Inflight Connectivity Solutions at Yahsat, a leading UAE Satellite Operator, where she was responsible for the overall strategy and execution of enabling the organization to launch into the Mobility Satcom Services business.

In 2007, she founded The EKKAM Group, a strategic management consulting firm focused on serving clients in the aerospace/aviation and telecom industries. Key clients included Airbus, Panasonic and Thales. Tina held multiple leadership roles at Panasonic Avionics Corporation, where she was instrumental in efforts to launch the Panasonics Global Communications Services business, currently serving over 80+ airlines globally. She was also charged to establish the strategy and grow the software, applications and media business, serving the In-Flight Entertainment and Communications industry. Tina began her career at The Boeing Company’s Satellite Systems business unit . She was integral to the building and launch of Connexion by Boeing (CBB) business, the first-of-its-kind true broadband communications services for commercial airlines. As part of the business development organization, she participated in the early pursuits of the Teledesic (LEO) and Ellipso (MEO) satellite programs. She was also a key member of the due diligence team efforts, resulting in the acquisition of Hughes Space and Communications. Tina received her Bachelor of Honors Degree in Aerospace Engineering from Kingston University in the U.K. She is also a graduate of the International Space University.

Chester Gillmore, part of the early team at Planet, is Senior Vice President of Spacecraft and Manufacturing, where he is responsible for overseeing Planet’s satellite design and manufacturing operations. This includes the design, prototyping, qualification, and launch of history’s largest fleet of Earth observation satellites. Planet’s manufacturing facility has flexible concurrent assembly, integration, test, and qualification lines that have produced well over 20 satellites a week. The development teams are tightly integrated with manufacturing and have realized an unprecedented capability, coined ‘Agile Aerospace’. Planet’s mission is to use space to help life on Earth, making global change visible, accessible, and actionable. Prior to joining Planet, Chester helped Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network (LCOGT) build and operate a longitudinally deployed global network of fully robotic autonomous 1M and 0.4M telescopes used for scientific research.

Katherine is the Chief Executive Officer for River Advisers (formerly ManSat) which specializes in international spectrum regulation and market access. Before joining River Advisers, Katherine worked with U.S. defense contractors to bring commercial satellite and terrestrial communication technologies to austere environments in support of military, civil, and commercial initiatives.
Katherine serves as Chairwoman of Space & Satellite Professionals International (SSPI), mentors through the Techstars Starburst Space Accelerator and Space Generation Advisory Council, and supports the ITU’s Girls in ICT initiative.
A graduate of the International Space University’s Executive Program, Katherine holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Commerce from the University of Virginia.

Jacqueline is the founder and CEO of Magnestar.

Founded Magnestar in December 2021, Jacqueline has led the Magnestar team to create 24/7x, the software platform built for space operators, regulators, and military groups, to predict signal interference, expedite coordination agreements, and enable a secondary market for spectrum; increasing communications resiliency in contested and congested environments.

Jacqueline won the SATELLITE 2023 startup award, graduated from the 2023 Creative Destruction Lab Space Stream and is a Canadian Delegate to the International Telecommunications Union under the United Nations.

She is a graduate of the International Space University, and was previously the Director of Data Strategy and Product Development at OMERS, the $124B pension fund. As well was the lead Canadian Solutions Engineer for TIBCO Software, where she led the technical sale of data infrastructure software across 40 organization in North America.

Alex is one of Loft’s co-founders and COO where we oversees the company’s day-to-day operations and helps direct Loft’s strategy around both growth and internal operations. He has been in the space industry his entire career, having worked previously at Spire in Business Development and Avascent as an aerospace-focused management consultant. He graduated from Washington University in St. Louis and hails from Baltimore, Maryland.

Mike Greenley is Chief Executive Officer of MDA Space, a trusted mission partner to the rapidly expanding global space industry. Since joining the company in 2018 and taking it public in 2021 (TSX:MDA), Mr. Greenley has steered the business through an unprecedented period of growth and expansion. Under his leadership, the company has invested in one of the world’s most diverse portfolios of next-generation space technologies and solutions, established world-class manufacturing capabilities and doubled revenue. He leads an elite team of more than 3,000 employees across Canada, the US and the UK developing next-generation communications satellites, Earth and space observation, and space exploration and infrastructure for civil, defence and commercial customers.
Prior to joining MDA Space, Mr. Greenley was Sector President of L-3 WESCAM, a provider of systems for defence, homeland security and law enforcement. From 2013 to 2016, he served as Vice President and General Manager of CAE Canada, supporting defence and security markets. From 2008 to 2013, he served first as Vice President, Strategy and Business Development for General Dynamics (GD) Canada, then as Vice President, International for GD Mission Systems. From 2004 to 2008, he was Vice President of the modeling and simulation business at CAE. Mr. Greenley has over 25 years of experience in the defence and security business, with broad experience serving the Land, Air, Maritime, Joint, and Public Safety sectors.

Mr. Greenley is currently Chair of Space Canada and recently served as Vice Chair of the Government of Canada’s Economic Strategy Table for Advanced Manufacturing. He served as Chair of the Board of the Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries (CADSI) for six years and as a Board Member of the Aerospace Industries Association of Canada (AIAC) and the Ontario Aerospace Council. He was previously Chair of the Advisory Board for Defence and Security Export to the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) in Canada, and was a member of the industry advisory boards to Department of National Defence, Defence R&D Canada, Public Services and Procurement Canada, and the CEO of the Export Development Canada (EDC).
Mr. Greenley was recognized as the Satellite Executive of the Year at the Satellite 2024 Conference in Washington, DC. He has also been recognized for his business and community leadership as an Ottawa Top 40 under 40 business leader, a PROFIT 100 CEO for leading one of Canada’s fastest growing companies for three years running, and as a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for service to peers and country in the defence sector.

Mike Greenley is Chief Executive Officer of MDA Space, a trusted mission partner to the rapidly expanding global space industry. Since joining the company in 2018 and taking it public in 2021 (TSX:MDA), Mr. Greenley has steered the business through an unprecedented period of growth and expansion. Under his leadership, the company has invested in one of the world’s most diverse portfolios of next-generation space technologies and solutions, established world-class manufacturing capabilities and doubled revenue. He leads an elite team of more than 3,000 employees across Canada, the US and the UK developing next-generation communications satellites, Earth and space observation, and space exploration and infrastructure for civil, defence and commercial customers.
Prior to joining MDA Space, Mr. Greenley was Sector President of L-3 WESCAM, a provider of systems for defence, homeland security and law enforcement. From 2013 to 2016, he served as Vice President and General Manager of CAE Canada, supporting defence and security markets. From 2008 to 2013, he served first as Vice President, Strategy and Business Development for General Dynamics (GD) Canada, then as Vice President, International for GD Mission Systems. From 2004 to 2008, he was Vice President of the modeling and simulation business at CAE. Mr. Greenley has over 25 years of experience in the defence and security business, with broad experience serving the Land, Air, Maritime, Joint, and Public Safety sectors.

Mr. Greenley is currently Chair of Space Canada and recently served as Vice Chair of the Government of Canada’s Economic Strategy Table for Advanced Manufacturing. He served as Chair of the Board of the Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries (CADSI) for six years and as a Board Member of the Aerospace Industries Association of Canada (AIAC) and the Ontario Aerospace Council. He was previously Chair of the Advisory Board for Defence and Security Export to the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) in Canada, and was a member of the industry advisory boards to Department of National Defence, Defence R&D Canada, Public Services and Procurement Canada, and the CEO of the Export Development Canada (EDC).
Mr. Greenley was recognized as the Satellite Executive of the Year at the Satellite 2024 Conference in Washington, DC. He has also been recognized for his business and community leadership as an Ottawa Top 40 under 40 business leader, a PROFIT 100 CEO for leading one of Canada’s fastest growing companies for three years running, and as a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for service to peers and country in the defence sector.

Tarun Gupta leads Skylo’s global product development, bringing to market the world’s first commercial Narrowband Non-Terrestrial Network which allows smartphone and IoT cellular devices to connect directly over existing satellites. Skylo’s direct-to-device service is now live across four continents, with more than 50 million square kilometers of coverage, in partnership with multiple satellite operators, mobile network operators (MNOs), Tier-1 chipset makers, and OEMs.

Tarun has more than 20 years of experience in the industry and held executive positions at Google, Parallel Infrastructure and FiberTower. Tarun earned his BSEE in Electrical Engineering from the University of Virginia and his MS degree in Management as a Fellow from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Dr. Shay Har-Noy (Shy) is the Chief Executive Officer of Edgybees, a cutting edge company making aerial video and satellite imagery more accurate through AI. Shay has extensive executive experience as an executive at leading satellite companies Spire and DigitalGlobe/Maxar. At DigitalGlobe/Maxar, he was responsible for their Platform business — their high growth effort to get DigitalGlobe’s 15 year digital library in the cloud and available for ML/AI. He also saw first hand the importance of accuracy in large scale automation through his experience at Uber leading the product group responsible for detecting and fixing map errors in real time.
Dr. Har-Noy graduated summa cum laude from Rice University and received a Ph.D in Electrical Engineering with research in image processing from UC-San Diego.

Aaron Hawkins serves as the Director for Viasat’s Real-Time Earth (RTE) Ground-Segment-as-a-Service (GSaaS) business area. He leads strategic alliances and global business development for the RTE team and has grown RTE from a small start-up within Viasat to a global service operating on six continents providing TT&C and payload connectivity for satellite missions ranging from earth observation and optical intersatellite link demonstrations to on-orbit servicing and orbital debris removal. Previously, Aaron led business development efforts within Viasat’s Antenna Systems full-motion antenna business area.

Aaron brings over 20 years of defense and commercial aerospace experience. He started his professional career as a national security representative within the executive branch of the United States government where he led efforts domestically and internationally to confront transnational threats through engagement with allied partners, often utilizing geospatial tools.

Dr. Inuk Kang is Director of Space Systems Engineering of Optical and Photonics Systems (OPS) division of CACI. He leads CACI’s research and development of next-generation laser communication systems and supports strategy and capture efforts for CACI’s laser communication product portfolio for U. S. National Security sector. CACI OPS division is U. S.-based vertically-integrated company, providing ground, airborne, and space laser communication solutions. Prior to CACI, he led research and development activities at LGS Innovations, Bell Laboratories, and Seoul National University. He is a fellow of OPTICA (formerly Optical Society of America) and received Ph. D. in physics from Cornell University.

Mr. Letarte is a Principal at AE Industrial and is primarily focused on originating, executing and monitoring portfolio investments. Mr. Letarte currently serves on the Board of Directors of AE Industrial portfolio companies: Belcan and York Space Systems. Prior to joining AE Industrial in 2018, Mr. Letarte was an Associate at Moelis & Company, where he focused on M&A, restructuring and strategic corporate advisory across a broad spectrum of industries including aerospace and defense, industrials, healthcare and consumer. Prior to joining Moelis, Mr. Letarte was an Analyst in J.P. Morgan’s Leveraged Finance Group, where he focused on clients in the technology, media and telecommunications sector.

Janna joined Astroscale U.S. in May 2024 as Senior Vice President of Policy and General Counsel to provide strategic policy and legal direction to support the company’s growth and compliance with evolving regulations. She also serves as Secretary of the Astroscale U.S. Board of Directors.

Prior to joining Astroscale, she was a senior attorney and technology strategist with BAE Systems, Inc., focused on legal and policy matters in national defense, intelligence, and commercial space. She has unique, cross-sector expertise in advising programs and technology development for U.S. government and commercial initiatives, including launch services, satellite integration, on-orbit communications and sensing, microelectronics, and cybersecurity.

Janna began her career in private legal practice, where she served as counsel to U.S. and international clients in the aerospace and defense, commercial space, and telecommunications industries. She then worked for Facebook, where she helped frame industry partnerships to catalyze the delivery of space- based and high-altitude global connectivity solutions. From there, she facilitated innovation and strategic collaborations for Northrop Grumman’s Missions Systems Sector before joining BAE Systems.

Janna is a volunteer with the Space Foundation, served on the Defense Innovation Board’s Space Advisory Committee, and is a registered patent attorney. She is also a member of the International Institute of Space Lawyers and the AIA Intellectual Property Committee. Passionate about strategic space policy, Janna frequently speaks publicly about the rapidly evolving laws and policies affecting defense and commercial space. She is committed to increasing diversity in the space industry, and she is a strong advocate for new space professionals.

Whitney Lohmeyer, Chief Technologist of the FCC’s Space Bureau, is passionate about enabling affordable Internet so that individuals can empower themselves, and that communities can connect schools and healthcare centers. She is on leave from her role as faculty at Olin College and as a Research Affiliate at MIT. Whitney was the first engineer hired at OneWeb, where she worked with Qualcomm on the communications architecture, and contributed to policy reform at the FCC and ITU. Since that time, she has advised more than thirty companies on technical, financial, and regulatory matters and has testified before Congress on space and spectrum related issues. Prior to joining the OneWeb team, she worked at Google, Inmarsat and NASA. She is currently on the board of FASESA, a non-profit bringing space exploration to classrooms throughout Africa. Whitney received her Ph.D. and M.S. in AeroAstro from MIT in 2015 and 2013, respectively. She earned her B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from NC State University in 2011, as the only female in her class of approximately ninety students, and now serves on the board of North Carolina State University’s Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) Department.

Joshua Madrigal is vice president of Contracts at Millennium Space Systems, a Boeing
Company. Millennium Space Systems delivers high-performing prototype and constellation
solutions across advanced national security and environmental observation missions. Founded in
2001, the company’s small satellite missions support government, civil and commercial space
customers’ needs across orbits.

In this role, Madrigal stood up the Contracts department at the company, and is responsible for
negotiating, leading and managing all contracts and subcontracts, as well as trade compliance.
He has seven years of experience in leading proposals and negotiating and executing high-dollar
value contracts and subcontracts.

Prior to Millennium Space Systems, Madrigal was contracts manager at Northrop Grumman,
where he led and managed several large classified proposals that resulted in high-dollar value
contracts.

Madrigal earned his bachelor’s degree in business management with a minor in contract
management from California Polytechnic University, Pomona.

As Head of Aerospace at Cambridge Consultants, Stewart leads the company’s collaboration within the sector. Central to Stewart’s role is helping companies achieve complex technology breakthroughs that unlock transformative business value. This has included a world-first Push-to-Talk satellite service and an innovative beyond visual line-of-sight UAV solution using low power satellite technology.

Dr. Martin joined Astroscale U.S. in August 2019 as Executive Vice President. She brings many years of experience in space technology management, operations, and engineering to support the foundation and growth of Astroscale U.S. 

Dr. Martin previously held the position of the Director, Orbital Solutions at General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS). She was responsible for the management and technical performance of the engineering staff and delivery of projects, including planning and managing technical and programmatic solutions to ensure quality, business, and financial objectives were met. 

Prior to joining GA-EMS, Dr. Martin was the Chief Operating Officer at Surrey Satellite Technology US, where she led the Surrey project management and engineering teams. As a member of the Surrey Satellite US Executive Team, Dr. Martin managed the bidding, negotiation, and execution of projects, and was responsible for ensuring the company’s cost-effective methods were appropriately applied to the execution of programs. 

Dr. Martin transferred to Surrey Satellite US from Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. in the United Kingdom, where she held several positions including the Head of Telecommunications and Navigation business unit, encompassing the Galileo payload programme. Prior to Surrey, Dr. Martin was a Project Manager and Scientist at QinetiQ. 

Dr. Martin earned a Master of Science in astrophysics and a Doctorate in mathematics and computational sciences from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. She loves to explore and adventure the mountains in Colorado.  

Brian Miske is an accomplished innovator and strategist serving as a Partner at KPMG and leader of US Ignition. With over 25 years of experience transforming organizations, he guides clients to reimagine their business in our rapidly evolving world. At Ignition, Brian leads a diverse team that shapes perspectives and uncovers opportunities through design thinking, creativity, and innovation. They support twelve industry sectors and 22 segments, closely tracking market signals and trends. This equips them to help organizations expand their vision to see possibilities for today and tomorrow.
Brian’s proficiency in strategy, design, and innovation consulting is key to navigating complexity. In his leadership role, he draws on KPMG’s full range of capabilities – advisory, tax and audit – to create immersive experiences that meet client needs. As former Americas CMO, Brian gained profound insights into aligning culture and marketing to drive growth. His eclectic background, spanning toy design to global marketing to AI and Machine Learning, allows him to develop strategies that deliver sustainability. Brian is a forward-thinking leader, combining creativity and analytical rigor. His experience bridging diverse perspectives makes him uniquely suited to guide organizations into the future. Brian enables clients to reframe challenges and harness change through human-centric strategies tailored to their unique needs.
Brian has written extensively on the ‘Astro Economy’, navigating the opportunities in today’s space economy for tomorrow’s leaders. Through insightful explorations of key themes like geopolitical disruptions, data fusion, convergence of terrestrial and space markets, and socio-economic impacts, the articles and thought leadership equips readers with the foresight to harness opportunities and mitigate risks in the rapidly evolving space industry. From unraveling the dynamics of public-private partnerships to showcasing transformative shifts on the horizon, the articles empower leaders to adapt, innovate, and strategically position their organizations within the cosmic commercial landscape.

Education
Thunderbird Global School of Management – Space Business, Policy & Leadership
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan – AI & ML for Business Strategy
University of Toronto Rotman School of Business – Strategic Change Management
University of Pennsylvania Wharton – Marketing Concentration
FIT – Toy Design
Syracuse University – Advertising

Alexander Mueller-Gastell joined ND SatCom in September 2017. His main focus at ND SatCom is to manage the success-oriented organization and define and implement the growth strategies for the three business units Government & Enterprise, Defence and Broadcast. Before joining ND SatCom, he was Presidentx&xCOO of Signalhorn, where he was responsible for managing the company´s daily operations and strategic direction including the growth strategy through acquisitions. Alexander started his career as a controller at Alcan and served in various companies as CFO.

Alexander Mueller-Gastell holds an MBA from the University of North Carolina, USA and the Humboldt University of Berlin, Germany.

Armand Musey is President and Founder of Summit Ridge Group. He has over 15 years of equity research, investment banking, and consulting experience. Armand has completed dozens of financial valuation, strategic analysis, business development, corporate governance, and business plan creation assignments in the communications industry and has experience working on numerous financing and M&A transactions. His projects include leading Summit Ridge Group’s support of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Antitrust division’s review of the proposed T-Mobile/Sprint merger.

Armand’s involvement with a wide breadth of companies has allowed him to develop a deep understanding of a range of media and telecom issues and the complex web of relationships underlying the sector’s competitive dynamics and associated regulatory issues. His legal background allows him to understand the heavily regulated telecom sector. During litigation support assignments, Armand’s legal background also allows him to quickly digest legal documents and identify industry issues likely to be most relevant to the legal team he supports. Prior to founding Summit Ridge Group, Armand led the satellite industry research teams for Banc of America Securities, and later Solomon Smith Barney where he also covered the wireless tower industry. He earned numerous honors as a research analyst including being named to the Institutional Investor “All American” team three times (2000-2002) and the Wall Street Journal “All-Star” team. He was ranked as the top satellite industry analyst by Greenwich Associates. He was previously president of a boutique investment bank specializing in the satellite, media, and telecom industries.

Sunil Nagaraj is the Founder and Managing Partner of Ubiquity Ventures, a seed-stage institutional venture capital firm with almost $200 million under management and a focus on “software beyond the screen” startups. This includes B2B technology companies that utilize smart hardware or machine learning to solve business problems outside the reach of computers and smartphones. By transforming real-world physical problems into the domain of software, Ubiquity-backed startups tap into large greenfield markets and offer more effective solutions.

His current and past space investments include Rocket Lab (NASDAQ: RKLB), Spire (NASDAQ: SPIR), Loft Orbital, and Muon Space.

Prior to founding Ubiquity Ventures, Sunil spent the better part of a decade with Bessemer Venture Partners where his work included leading the seed rounds of Auth0 (acquired by Okta for $6.5 billion) and Zapier.

Sunil holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BS in Computer Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is a Past President of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific (the largest general astronomy education society in the world with past Presidents including Edwin Hubble and Frank Drake). He also serves on the Advisory Board of the Harvard Business School California Research Center and as an Alumni Advisor to the Harvard MS/MBA program.

As leader of the firm’s Transportation and Space Group in Washington, DC, Dara Panahy’s practice involves representation of satellite and space infrastructure operators, aerospace manufacturers, launch services providers, communications, earth observation and data services companies, banks, private equity firms, hedge funds and other investors in debt and equity offerings, project, structured and vendor financings, mergers & acquisitions, financial restructurings and in negotiating commercial contracts. He also advises on regulatory, sanctions, anti-corruption, national security and export control matters.

Mr. Panahy’s practice focuses on representing clients involved in the aerospace, communications and data service industries. He advises on numerous financings involving public offerings, high yield debt, investment grade bonds, project and vendor financings, mergers & acquisitions, financial restructuring and reorganizations and in negotiating project contracts. He also counsels clients on domestic and international regulatory and trade matters, including licensing of communications systems, economic sanctions, regulation of foreign direct investment, anti-bribery and corrupt practices, national security and export control laws and regulations and risk management.

His recent representations include:
• numerous commercial satellite and launch services procurements for clients in North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia
• procurement and financing of next-generation, multi-billion dollar regional and global fixed and mobile satellite systems
• various satellite, aerospace and communications company mergers & acquisitions, strategic venture transactions and restructurings in North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia
• bank and capital markets financings, and private placements, involving global, regional and national communications, broadcast, broadband, remote sensing and asset tracking companies and service providers

Mr. Panahy is a regular speaker at space and communications conferences, a visiting lecturer at the International Space University and has published articles and delivered numerous presentations on finance, commercial and regulatory aspects of the aerospace and communications industries. He has been recognized as a leading lawyer in Telecom, Broadcast and Satellite Financing in Chambers USA and The Legal 500. Mr. Panahy speaks fluent Spanish and Farsi.

Mr. Rich Pang is the Head of Business Development for Kuiper Government Solutions and an industry expert in the development and delivery of government strategy, products and services. He is a retired military officer with 21 years of experience in space operations dealing with missile warning and defense, space control, satellite command and control, launch and early orbit testing, and collision avoidance and electromagnetic interference analyses. He also has a strong background in personnel training and evaluation, personnel and resource management, operational testing and evaluation, and space systems’ acquisition.

Mr. Pang’s prior experience includes serving as the Vice President of Corporate Development at Telesat Government Solutions and the Vice President of Government Segment Market Management at SES Networks. In both roles, he was responsible for assessing global government and institutional markets, identifying customers’ requirements, and leading the identification and development of products and solutions to meet customers’ needs.

Prior to joining SES Networks, Mr. Pang was and the Senior Director for Hosted Payloads at SES Government Solutions (SES GS). He was responsible for seeking, pursuing, and securing opportunities to support U.S. Government missions around the world through the use of hosted payloads. While there, he managed the Commercially Hosted InfraRed Payload (CHIRP) program for the United States Air Force and captured two other hosted payload contracts: (1) the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) funded by the Federal Aviation Administration; and (2) the Global Observations of the Limb and Disk (GOLD) funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

In May 2010, Mr. Pang retired from the United States Air Force as a Lieutenant Colonel after twenty-one years of service. In his last assignment, he served as the Director of Operations at the Program Executive Office for Environmental Satellites in Silver Spring, Maryland, where his duties encompassed leading a diverse team of over a hundred personnel from the Department of Defense, the Department of Commerce, and government contractors responsible for the operations and maintenance of the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program and the WindSat/Coriolis mission. In addition, his division was responsible for establishing operational policy and procedures for the development, transition, and subsequent operations and maintenance of follow-on meteorological satellite programs.

Mr. Pang was born in Portland, Oregon, and earned his commission as a Distinguished Graduate through the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps program in June 1989. He earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering from the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington, and a Master of Business Administration Degree from San Jose State University in San Jose, California.

Devon Papandrew leads new business efforts at Stoke Space, building 100% reusable medium-lift rockets designed to fly daily. In addition to commercial and government business development, Devon is responsible for helping shape strategy, as well as delivering competitive intelligence and market insights. Previously VP of Business Operations at Spaceflight Inc., Devon connected business development, mission management, and engineering teams enabling Spaceflight to build, sell, and execute satellite rideshare missions. He holds a BS in Physics and Economics from Georgetown University.

Scott Patrick helps direct NTIA’s work on national spectrum strategies and policies. His responsibilities include overseeing the development of spectrum-sharing and repurposing strategies in the agency’s work to address the needs of federal and commercial spectrum usage.

Before joining NTIA, Mr. Patrick was a wireless, media, and technology attorney in private practice, counseling telecom, cable, broadcast, and broadband companies on a wide range of policy, transactional, and regulatory matters. He also has served as an attorney in the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau at the Federal Communications Commission. Early in his career, Mr. Patrick was a research engineer at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory where he helped deploy the first three-axis fiberoptic electromagnetic sensors. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law and holds a master’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Maryland.

Greg Pelton is the Chief Technology Officer at Iridium Communications Inc., the only satellite communications company that offers truly global voice and data coverage. In this role, he drives innovation and oversees the technical aspects of Iridium’s products and services, while managing the day-to-day activities of the company’s systems teams. This includes technical roadmaps and strategy, system architecture and design, engineering design and process, performance and analysis, new service development programs and system integration, verification, and validation.

Pelton joined Iridium from a venture-backed AI company develop Large Language Models for enterprise applications, where he served as Chief Development Officer. Roles prior to that include Avaya, where he managed a $400M portfolio of voice and video collaboration products, CTO of Polycom, and he led Cisco’s corporate Technology Center incubating new technology growth areas including satellite networking.

Chris is the president of Quilty Space, an independent research and consulting firm that provides strategy, competitive benchmarking, financial analysis, and investment diligence on all aspects of the Satellite & Space industry.

Prior to establishing Quilty Spacein 2016, Chris served as a sell-side research analyst with Raymond James for 20 years, publishing hundreds of company-specific, macro, sector, and thematic research reports on the industrial, defense, space, wireless, and communications industries. Chris is widely-acknowledged as the leading Wall Street analyst on the Satellite & Space sector and has participated in 30 capital markets transactions over the past five years valued at over $2.5 billion

Chris received a BS degree in Systems Engineering from the United States Naval Academy in 1989 and an MBA from the University of Chicago in 1994.

Giulio Ranzo is CEO of Avio SpA since October 2015. He is also a board member of Arianespace SA, Europropulsion SA and Regulus SA in France. In 2016 he founded In-Orbit SpA, and investment vehicle through which he co-invested with 50 Avio managers, acquiring a 4% share of Avio’s capital. In 2017 he listed Avio on the Milan Stock Exchange on the STAR segment with over 70% free float.

From 2011 to 2015 he was Senior Vice President Corporate Strategy of the Avio Group and worked on the de-merger of the aero-engine business, which was sold to General Electric in 2013. In 2014-2015 he supported the post-merger integration with GE Aviation.

Between 2007 and 2011 he was Co-General Manager and CFO of the Italian activities of Cementir Holding, an international group operating in the building materials industry.

Giulio started his career in Booz Allen Hamilton, a global strategy consulting firm where he worked in the period 2000-2007 as Associate, Senior Associate and Principal within the Global Aerospace&Defense practice for several clients in Europe, US and Middle East.

Giulio holds a Laurea cum laude in Civil Engineering from the University of Rome and a PhD in Structural Engineering from a joint program between the University of Rome and the University of California San Diego (UCSD). Between 1996 and 1999 he was a Graduate Research Assistant and Development Engineer at the University of California San Diego and he has co-authored a number of scientific publications on international journals in the domain of Structural Engineering.

Giulio was born in Rome in 1971, he is married and he has two children.

Since 2019 TESAT Chief Commercial Officer, responsible for Sales & Marketing, Product Management, Strategy and Communications for the complete product portfolio including RF- and Laser products.

2002-2019 several management positions in operational Sales & Marketing at Airbus (former EADS) in the defence and space business, as well as the international Sales, Marketing and Strategy organization at the Paris HQ.
1993-2002 several Key Account Manager and Sales Management Position in the terrestrial telecommunication business.
Master Degree in electrical engineering from the German Air Force University and Executive MBA from Northwestern University – Kellogg School of Management and WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management.

Noel Rimalovski is a Managing Director at GH Partners, an independent New York-based investment banking firm. Mr. Rimalovski leads the firm’s representation of mergers and acquisitions, corporate restructurings, debt financings, and strategic advisory services to domestic and international clients. At GH, Mr. Rimalovski specializes in the telecom, media, technology, space and defense sectors.

Prior to joining GH, Mr. Rimalovski was with Macquarie Capital, Wasserstein Perella, and Lazard Frères.

Mr. Rimalovski graduated from Tufts College and received an MBA from Columbia Business School.

Robbie is the CEO and a co-founder at Sedaro, a digital twin software and solutions provider for aerospace and defense. Robbie leads product strategy for the Sedaro Digital Twin Platform and for Sedaro’s open-source software and standards. These technologies unlock a new, ecosystem-based approach to aerospace and defense modeling and a future that will be defined by increasingly complex and distributed systems.

Prior to founding Sedaro, Robbie was the first employee at Ibeos, where he led the development of instruments and subsystems for spacecraft headed to LEO, GEO, and the Moon. During his PhD, Robbie built small satellite instruments, developed simulation software at US and German government labs, and installed space science instruments in Antarctica. Robbie received both his bachelor’s degree and PhD in Aerospace Engineering from Virginia Tech.

Scott Rodriguez is Vice President of Government Programs for Voyager Space and is based out of their Houston office. He serves as the primary point of contact for NASA and other clients and entities as the company grows into emerging space markets. Scott’s involvement stretches across Operations, Finance, Engineering, and Business Development.

Scott has over two decades of experience working with governments and the private sector including direct experience with NASA as a part of the Operations Management and Program Controls Team for Lockheed Martin Space Operations. He has extensive experience operating both domestically and internationally and across multiple organizations and disciplines, making him well suited for his role of “Chief Diplomat” for Voyager as they continue to strengthen and grow their relationship with NASA and a growing list of commercial space partners.

Scott also serves as the Program Manager for the NASA HUNCH Program. This ‘Project Based Learning’ program works with high school students to develop 21st century skills through the participation in the design and fabrication of NASA flight hardware.

Scott joined Voyager after a long and successful stint as an independent contractor for various government agencies. Prior to starting his career, he received a BBA and an MA from Midwestern State University and attended South Texas College of Law.

Alexis Sáinz is the global co-leader of the Hogan Lovells Space and Satellite practice and a member of the Infrastructure, Energy, Resources & Projects group. She regularly represents export credit and multilateral development agencies, satellite operators, aerospace manufacturers, launch services providers, communications companies, financial institutions, project sponsors, private equity firms, hedge funds, and other industry participants on structured, project and vendor financings, in negotiating commercial and corporate transactions, and with commercially strategic regulatory matters. She also provides industry advice in connection with debt and equity offerings, joint ventures, mergers & acquisitions, and financial restructurings.

Alexis works with investors and lenders to understand the underlying issues impacting space projects and companies, at the intersection of commercial, regulatory and financing aspects of a transaction. She works with project parties to focus on key deal points and to identify appropriate industry-based risk mitigants and efficient allocation of risk in order to build consensus and drive closure. She works with companies to build a project and financing strategy from the ground up, anticipating financing issues early in the development of a new project or the growth of a company.

Alexis co-chairs the American Bar Association’s Committee on Space Law. She co-authored the chapter on “Commercial Satellite Programs” in the Routledge Handbook of Space Law. Prior to beginning her legal career in 2007, Alexis spent over 10 years working in internet-based industries, including e-commerce and media. She previously served as a consultant for the World Bank, National Geographic, and domestic non-profit organizations in connection with internet-based technology, and she was an early member of KPMG Peat Marwick’s financial service’s e-commerce consulting practice, where she focused on emerging technologies.

Alex is CEO of GeoOptics, a leading provider of satellite weather and Earth system data. He has held several roles at GeoOptics, including managing the deployment and operations of its satellite constellation. Before joining GeoOptics, Alex was the Executive Director of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, leading policy development and business operations for the industry association of the fast-growing commercial space industry. He has also been Legislative Director to Congressman Adam Schiff, advising the Congressman on science and technology, space, energy, environment, and non-proliferation issues and playing key roles in helping expand the use of nuclear forensics to track nuclear material and in shepherding the 2010 NASA Authorization Act through to passage.

Pablo Gallego Sanmiguel is PLD Space Senior Vice President, Sales & Customers. Pablo brings extensive knowledge and experience in the aerospace market, specifically in the sector of Commercial Launch Services. Since September 2019, the former SpaceX employee has been working in the commercial and customer management of the Spanish company, representing PLD Space.

Before joining PLD Space, Pablo developed his professional career from California (United States) working as Mission Manager of Launching Services with SpaceX as well as providing aerospace consulting services.
Previously, Pablo had participated actively in several other rocket launch operations, such as Ariane 4, Ariane 5, Soyuz, Dnepr, Vega, Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy.

Pablo has participated in more than forty launch campaigns with different clients and launch bases such as Kourou (French Guiana), Yasny (Russia), Vandenberg (California) and Cape Canaveral (Florida).
Pablo has worked as a Launcher and Satellite Design Engineer at Airbus Defense and Space (CASA Espacio). Also, as Launch Mission Manager and Launcher Integration Engineer at Arianespace. Next, Pablo transition his career to the United States as a customer representative with Hisdesat (in Palo Alto), for the launching of the SPAINSAT and XTAR satellites with Ariane 5. After that, worked as Business Development Manager at INSA (ISDEFE), and also participated in the development and execution of the first mission of the Vega launcher with the European Space Agency. He was responsible for Business Development and Integration, putting into service the Earth observation satellite DEIMOS-2 with Elecnor-Deimos. Currently, Pablo coordinates his activities between the United States and Europe where he directly addresses the needs of customers. “One of my main objectives is to keep up with the needs of our launch services to customers and validate the integration process. The preparation of the PLD Space’s first launch is one of my priorities as well as following market trends.”, expresses.

In addition, Pablo is registered with the U.S Department of State Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC), to be able to interact with different types of customers and suppliers, both in the commercial field and in other more restrictive areas, such as defense whose activities may be subject to ITAR regulation.

Mr. Schmidt is a Managing Director at KippsDeSanto & Co. and co-heads the Aerospace / Defense Group.
Prior to joining KippsDeSanto & Co., Mr. Schmidt was a Senior Vice President in Houlihan Lokey’s Washington, DC office and a member of its Aerospace·Defense·GovernmentServices industry investment banking group, where he focused on sellside and buyside M&A advisory engagements, sourcing growth capital, and conducting strategic alternatives assessments. Prior to joining Houlihan Lokey’s ADG practice, Mr. Schmidt was a cavalry officer in the U.S. Army, serving in Europe, the Middle East, and the United States in various combat arms assignments. He also served in the Pentagon on the staff of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, working on classified intelligence assessments and transformation efforts, and he served on the U.S. Army Staff, working on equipment modernization and weapons testing.
Mr. Schmidt earned a B.S. in engineering (aeronautical) from the United States Military Academy at West Point, an M.S. in operations research from the Naval Post Graduate School, and an M.B.A. from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He is registered with FINRA as a General Securities Registered Representative (Series 7, 63).

With 20 years of in-house general counsel experience, Randy Segal brings an individual perspective to every matter she handles, both as your outside counsel and as someone who has walked in your shoes. With a focus on satellite, wireless, drone, and technology transactions, Randy provides commercially practical solutions in industries where technological change is ever-present. Randy’s practice often involves multi-level chess games, where every move needs to be considered from a multitude of angles to be successful.

As a result, Randy’s practice is reflected in three segments. First, as co-leader of the Space and Satellite practice, Randy has handled many types of transactions, from day-to-day matters to the most complex international transactions for industry operators, investors, and technology providers. She has been involved in taking companies public, advising on acquisitions, divestitures, and complex cross-border joint ventures, as well as large satellite system development, deployments and funding.

Second, as an advisor to technology investors and their portfolio companies, Randy has advised on transactions focused on big data analytics, IT, wireless systems, spectrum licenses, environmental analytics, wireless proximity analysis, drone technology, terrestrial positioning, and other innovative technologies.

Third, Randy provides “strand of pearls” advice to global clients, working seamlessly with our international offices to develop familiar, comfortable and “right-sized” solutions. Randy’s extensive cross-border experience has resulted in an extensive tool-kit of resolutions for the most complex of legal regimes. Randy’s transactional and advisory experience is both deep and broad, working throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East and on the most complex of international programs and legal issues.

Karolis Senvaitis is the Director of Engineering Operations at KNA, where he leads a team responsible for supply chain, production, quality control, and mission control. His daily responsibilities include solving operational challenges, ensuring timely product delivery, and maintaining continuous improvement. Karolis also focuses on planning satellite constellations and developing expansion strategies to meet industry demands and optimize costs for clients.

Pratish brings over 30 years of engineering, business development, marketing, and management experience across enterprise, consumer electronics and space and defense industries to Aitech. For the last 15 years, Pratish has led global aerospace and defense companies, identified new opportunities, leading mergers and acquisitions and built successful businesses.

At Aitech, Pratish leads the US Business Unit, oversees Global Marketing and Product Strategy to support the company’s global growth initiatives.

Billie Sims has extensive work experience in the satellite and telecommunications industry. She currently serves as the Vice President, Sales and Business Development for both Gilat Satellite Netowrks and Wavestream Business Units. Billie previously held the role Vice President of Growth at Comtech Telecommunications Corp. Prior to that, she was the VP of Partner Program Sales at Ursa Space Systems from 2022 to 2023.

From 2011 to 2022, she held the position of Vice President Sales and Business Development, Government Programs at Hunter Communications Inc, where she provided end-to-end support and developed integrated satellite solutions.

Billie also has experience in various leadership roles within professional organizations. From 2019 to present, Billie has been a member of the Board of Directors at Space and Satellite Professionals International. She also contributed to the satellite industry as the President of the Society of Satellite Professionals from 2017 to 2018, and as the Vice President from 2016 to 2017.

Before that, Billie worked at SES WORLD SKIES as the Senior Director, Sales from 2010 to 2011, and at SES New Skies as the Senior Director, North America Sales from 2007 to 2010. She also held the position of Account Manager, International Broadcast Services at Verestar from 2000 to 2004.

Overall, Billie Sims has a strong background in sales, business development, and leadership within the satellite and telecommunications industry.

Billie Sims graduated from George Mason University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Speech Communication between 1992 and 1997. In 2000, Billie obtained a Certificate in Satellite Communications Engineering from The George Washington University. Later, from 2008 to 2010, Billie attended Rutgers University for leadership training, earning a Certificate. Finally, between 2010 and 2012, Billie pursued a degree in Business, specifically an EMBA, from George Mason University’s Costello College of Business.

Mr. Spice has served as Rocket Lab’s Chief Financial Officer since May 2018. From January 2011 until May 2018, he was Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at MaxLinear, Inc., a provider of radio frequency, analog and mixed-signal integrated circuits for the connected home, wired and wireless infrastructure, and industrial and multimarket applications. From October 2009 to November 2010, Mr. Spice was the Chief Financial Officer of Symwave Corporation, a venture backed fabless semiconductor company until its sale to Standard Microsystems Corporation (SMSC). From July 2000 until September 2009, Mr. Spice held a variety of financial and operational executive roles at Broadcom Corporation, a creator of semiconductor solutions for wired and wireless communications. From June 1996 until July 2000, Mr. Spice worked as a finance manager for Intel, a microchips manufacturer.

Mr. Spice has a Bachelor of Business Administration from the Brigham Young university and an MBA from The University of Texas at Austin.

John Stack is Senior Managing Director at B. Riley Securities responsible for Aerospace & Defense (A&D) investment banking. He has 30+ years’ global experience working with publicly-traded and privately-held companies. During his career, Mr. Stack has worked across the A&D value chain, helping clients with equity capital markets (ATM, follow on, IPO), mergers & acquisitions and private capital raises. He has been active in defense technology, autonomy / unmanned systems and space. Given his strong industry knowledge, strategic and operational perspectives, vast global network of executives, business owners and investors, and extensive transaction experience, he is a respected and trusted advisor.

Mr. Stack graduated from Bryant University with BS in Finance and Accounting and received an MBA from Fordham University. He is a commercial pilot with instrument and multi-engine ratings. John also holds a Small Unmanned Aircraft System (sUAS) Remote Pilot part 107 license.

Kevin Steen is the president and CEO of the combined Eutelsat America Corp. (EAC) and OneWeb Technologies entity, which are leading providers of secure and innovative commercial satellite communications connectivity to the U.S. government globally. In this role, Mr. Steen oversees the integration of the companies’ teams and businesses following their combination, along with setting the combined entity’s overall strategic direction and growth. With more than two decades of experience in technology business development and operating executive positions, Mr. Steen has a reputation for establishing strong customer relationships, building high performance teams, and a successful track record in balancing strategy against execution.

Prior to being named as president and CEO of OneWeb Technologies in September 2022, he served as CEO of iDirect, a market-leading government and commercial satellite communications technology provider. Under Mr. Steen’s leadership, the company pioneered the satellite industry’s first ground segment platform that supported a global network footprint and become the technology partner of choice for the top satellite operators and service providers. Before joining ST Engineering iDirect, he was vice president of Mergers and Acquisitions at SAP Americas.

Mr. Steen holds a Masters in Business Administration from Northeastern University and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Denver. He sits on a number of boards in a financial and operations advisory capacity.

Kevin Steen is the president and CEO of the combined Eutelsat America Corp. (EAC) and OneWeb Technologies entity, which are leading providers of secure and innovative commercial satellite communications connectivity to the U.S. government globally. In this role, Mr. Steen oversees the integration of the companies’ teams and businesses following their combination, along with setting the combined entity’s overall strategic direction and growth. With more than two decades of experience in technology business development and operating executive positions, Mr. Steen has a reputation for establishing strong customer relationships, building high performance teams, and a successful track record in balancing strategy against execution.

Prior to being named as president and CEO of OneWeb Technologies in September 2022, he served as CEO of iDirect, a market-leading government and commercial satellite communications technology provider. Under Mr. Steen’s leadership, the company pioneered the satellite industry’s first ground segment platform that supported a global network footprint and become the technology partner of choice for the top satellite operators and service providers. Before joining ST Engineering iDirect, he was vice president of Mergers and Acquisitions at SAP Americas.

Mr. Steen holds a Masters in Business Administration from Northeastern University and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Denver. He sits on a number of boards in a financial and operations advisory capacity.

Brooke is a Partner in McKinsey’s Aerospace & Defense practice and leads McKinsey’s global Space practice. She supporting a range of clients – established companies, disruptors, and investors – on space and defense engagements. Her focus is on growth strategy, innovation, and transactions related work, including topics such as go-to-market strategies, market sizing, strategic portfolio reviews, ecosystem market scans, equity story development, and market diligences.

In addition to her client engagements, Brooke has co-led McKinsey’s space knowledge partnerships, including collaborations with the Aerospace Industries Association and the World Economic Forum. She has also spoken at industry events and in the media on space industry dynamics, in addition to serving as a mentor to early-stage space companies via the Creative Destruction Lab incubator program.

Her published work covers topics such as space investment funding trends, satellite constellation performance analysis, the role of space in global priorities, and industry R&D funding analysis.

Brooke’s background prior to McKinsey is in finance and economics, and included work with a boutique financial and economic analysis firm, where she worked closely with leading economists on complex analysis of financial markets. She is a graduate of The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Pennsylvania Law School, as well as Bucknell University.

Experienced innovation and engineering executive across multiple industries including wireless networking (cellular and WiFi), consumer electronics, silicon platforms, and large-scale cloud client computing. Currently CTO of Carnegie Technologies. Other roles included SVP Software Engineering at Comcast NBC Universal, VP of Engineering at Cable Vision Systems, VP Silicon Platform at Motorola PCS, CTO of Dell’s Client Solutions Group, and CTO Broadband at Texas Instruments. He was a founder and CTO of two successful startups: Wi-Fi innovation leader Aironet Wireless (acquired by Cisco) and 4G wireless innovator Raze Technologies. He started his career at the National Security Agency.

Strategically positioned in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office, Drew Svor serves as a member of the firm’s Telecom, Space & Satellite, CFIUS and AI Teams, as well as the D.C. office’s recruiting co-chair.

Areas of Practice

Advisor to Dynamic Industries
Drew is a go-to advisor for technology, telecommunications, aerospace, defense and infrastructure companies navigating today’s complex regulatory landscape. With a keen eye on fostering innovation and growth while ensuring compliance, Drew provides strategic counsel to clients at the forefront of technological advancement, commercial investment and national security imperatives.

Experience in Action
Specializing in representing space and satellite companies, mobile network operators and cutting-edge technology providers, Drew helps his clients shape the digital landscape of tomorrow. His strategic and practical approach ensures clients stay ahead in dynamic industries where innovation is the name of the game.

Thought Leader and Speaker
Drew is a recognized thought leader, regularly authoring insightful pieces on emerging technologies and new regulatory trends, especially at the FCC. He is also a sought-after speaker at industry-leading events, including conferences hosted by SatNews, the Federal Communications Bar Association (FCBA) and the ABA Space Symposium.

Pro Bono Commitment
Drew’s passion extends beyond the technology sector. He actively engages in pro bono work, collaborating with Human Rights First to represent refugees in political asylum cases before USCIS and DHS.

Industry Boards
Drew is a member of the Washington Space Business Roundtable Board and the Law360 Telecommunications Editorial Advisory Board.

Community Involvement
Outside of work, Drew enjoys rugby, running, traveling and is a devoted friend to cats and dogs alike.

Al Tadros is the Chief Technology Officer of Redwire. In this role, he is focused on making strategic investments that support Redwire’s customers, advancing technology development and commercialization, and maintaining a nimble and collaborative technical culture. With three decades of experience in space systems engineering and as an aerospace executive, Al is a thought leader in AI-enabled autonomy, machine vision, rendezvous and proximity operations, and robotics. He has a proven track record in maturing satellite and space systems programs for exploration, national security, and commercial missions.

Previously, Al was Chief Growth Officer and Executive Vice President of Space Infrastructure at Redwire. In this role, he oversaw the company’s long-term growth strategy and business development activities, and was responsible for advancing development, increasing adoption, and building momentum for Redwire’s mission-enabling capabilities.

Prior to Redwire, he served as Vice President of Space Infrastructure and Civil Space at Maxar Technologies, where he led significant innovation in next-generation spacecraft design and space infrastructure, integrating robotics and in-space satellite manufacturing, servicing, and assembly capabilities. Over the course of his career at Maxar, Al contributed to 13 missions and launch campaigns, many of which deployed cutting-edge communications and remote sensing systems. Al has worked with both commercial enterprises and government agencies to develop space systems for communications, satellite servicing, remote sensing, and exploration.
Al leads Redwire’s involvement in Stanford University’s Center for AEroSpace Autonomy Research (CAESAR), which is working to advance autonomous reasoning capabilities in space with artificial intelligence and machine vision. As an authority in robotics, Al also holds patents in the field of attitude control systems and was responsible for early telerobotics research for the International Space Station.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering and a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Jeff Thornburg is the CEO of Portal Space Systems. He is a career space engineer, having held prestigious roles across the space and energy sector’s top commercial and governmental organizations. Thornburg’s career is a testament to his devotion to humanity’s advancement on and off Earth.

Thornburg started his career in the U.S. Air Force and earned his master’s in aeronautical engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology. While stationed at the Air Force Research Laboratory, Thornburg contributed to groundbreaking programs, including performing the world’s first hydrogen full-flow staged combustion cycle engine demonstration.

Thornburg has held key roles in most of the private sector’s most prominent commercial space companies, including VP of propulsion engineering at SpaceX, director of mechanical engineering and manufacturing for Amazon’s project Kuiper, vice president of propulsion engineering at Stratolaunch, senior vice president of engineering at Agility Robotics, and chief of engineering at Commonwealth Fusion Systems.

As SpaceX’s second-ever head of propulsion engineering, he architected and developed the Raptor Engine for the Starship and Starship Booster programs. He also oversaw the successful launches of six Falcon 9s and streamlined certification processes with government agencies like NASA and the U.S. Air Force.

Throughout his career, Thornburg has been recognized with awards from NASA and the Air Force, including a NASA Space Flight Awareness award, the NASA Made It Happen award, the NASA Stennis Space Center Propulsion Test Director’s Leadership Award, and an Air Force Research Laboratory Technical Program Manager of the Year.

Specializing in the satellite and space industries, Miguel is actively engaged with satellite and space companies, formulating diverse business propositions for public and private entities both domestically and internationally. He excels at identifying strengths, minimizing risks, forecasting trends, and providing insights to help clients achieve their goals. With over 3 decades of experience, Miguel has a proven track record in strategic growth for commercial and government users globally.
For the past 20 years, Miguel has led a strategy and financial advisory firm focused on satellite communications and space technologies. He has advised both private and public companies and served on the Board of Directors for publicly traded companies on NASDAQ and NYSE. He has held executive positions at Lockheed Martin, Boeing Space, and Motorola. Miguel holds a BSEE in electronics and telecommunications and supports mentoring programs at several US and international universities, guiding graduate students entering the space industry. An avid endurance ultrarunner, he also coaches colleagues training for endurance running events, bringing energy, thoughtful guidance, and a genuine passion to help others achieve their goals.

Aashu Virmani is passionate about simplifying the complex, and articulating the business value of an idea. He has been a Business Development, M&A and Product Strategy Executive for over 20 years. Formally trained in data science, he has invested over two decades in the world of communications, and six years in fintech.

In his current role at Cambridge Consultants (CC), Aashu is responsible for finding areas of #deeptech innovation within the communications space, and allowing CC’s customers to adopt such innovation to create a sustainable and competitive advantage.

Annalisa Weigel, Ph.D., is currently a Senior Director with Fairmont Consulting Group. She supports growth strategy and market due diligence engagements for various sponsors and strategic clients across Fairmont’s practice areas and leads the firm’s space practice area. Prior to Fairmont, Annalisa was a faculty member at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) researching and teaching in aerospace and defense innovation, space systems design, and continuous process improvement. Her additional experiences include time spent working on Wall Street, supporting the DoD, and pioneering the application of lean principles in the aerospace community.

Annalisa received her Ph.D. in Technology, Management, and Policy from MIT, as well as an SB and SM in Aeronautics and Astronautics. She also received an MA in Space Policy from George Washington University. Annalisa is a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), and a former Trustee of AIAA and the AIAA Foundation.

Chris Winslett is the General Manager of Blue Canyon Technologies, part of the Space, Imaging and Microelectronics leadership under the Advanced Products & Solutions Strategic Business Unit of Raytheon, an RTX business.

With close to 25 years of industry experience, Chris joined Blue Canyon from Lockheed Martin where he most recently was the Program Director for SDA Transport Layer Programs. Prior to this role, he was the Director of Programs for OneWeb Satellites, a joint venture between OneWeb and Airbus. In this position, he was responsible not only for completing the design and development of the OneWeb constellation, but also for standing up a factory that was able to produce 10 satellites a week and for developing a strategy to leverage that production to build a wider customer base. 

Before joining OneWeb, Chris worked with Boeing for 17 years, holding a variety of positions across the company including leading the Platform and Payload Products for the Satellite Vehicles Business Unit.

Chris earned a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology.