Speakers

Dr Ane Aanesland is a Norwegian deep-tech entrepreneur with deep roots in scientific research. She is the co-founder and CEO of ThrustMe, an industrial space startup providing innovative propulsion solutions to maneuver satellites in space. In 2020, ThrustMe became the first company to successfully demonstrate an iodine-propelled electric propulsion system in space and now they deliver industrialized products to clients worldwide and are baseline on large EO satellite constellations.

Ane received the Innovation Medal of the Centre Nationale De La Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) in 2019 and was appointed by the French Government as an ambassador for its France 2030 space strategy in 2022.

Dr. Victor Aguero, a co-Founder of Cambrian Works is now serving as CEO and CTO. Cambrian Works is a startup focused on developing the commercial potential in space through the establishment of key space infrastructure.  Cambrian Works is currently supported through a combination of Space Systems Command, Space Development Agency, and National Science foundation funding, as well as initial commercial sales of space networking products.

Until mid-2020, Dr. Aguero served as a Senior Principal Research Engineer at SRI International, where for nearly 23 years he worked as a space technology developer and architect. His primary areas of interest had been space systems and advanced technology related to small satellites, satellite constellations, and enabling novel space missions. Dr. Aguero founded the small satellite program at SRI supporting the DoD/IC community by focusing on technology innovations, developments, and mission concepts during the mid-2000s through 2020. While at SRI, Dr. Aguero’s work led to eight patents, over 15 publications in refereed journals, and participation in over 13 on-orbit missions. His most recent work focused on communications and networking architectures for LEO constellations and clusters, and applications of robotic space systems.  The Cambrian Works team is now applying associated developments to commercial space.

Prior to joining SRI, Dr. Aguero worked two Space Shuttle missions carrying out research and engineering for the NASA Tethered Satellite System (TSS-1, 1992), its re-flight (TSS-1R, 1996) and associated payloads. During his graduate student years, Dr. Aguero also helped found and lead the Stanford University Small Satellite Program through the late-1980s to early 1990s. Dr. Aguero holds a Ph.D. and an M.S. in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Stanford University, an M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University, and a B.S. in Physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Major Sean P. Allen, USSF BACKGROUND: 16 yrs in Space Domain Awareness, Space Defense, OPIR, & SATCOM. Created the SDA TAP Lab to accelerate battle management solutions and stir innovation across industry, academia, and government. Inspired adoption of data science best practices & algorithm benchmarking for space. Established a globally deployed daytime LEO-tracking telescope program – R&D concept turned Presidentially directed program. Highly Qualified Mission Director at National Space Defense Center (NSDC). Led scientists, developers, and hardware experts building orbital threat warning applications, sensor network scheduling and orbit determination algorithms at various classification levels.
ASSIGNMENTS: Born in Omaha, Nebraska. Graduated from the University of Hawaii at Manoa in 2008. Commissioned into the United States Air Force in 2008.
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4th Space Operations Squadron, Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado
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50th Operations Support Squadron, Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado
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533d Training Squadron, Vandenberg AFB, California
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Joint OPIR Planning Center (JOPC), Aerospace Data Facility-Colorado
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Space Security & Defense Program (SSPD), Colorado Springs, Colorado
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National Space Defense Center (NSDC), Colorado Springs, Colorado
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Chief, Space Domain Awareness TAP Lab, Colorado Springs, Colorado
EDUCATION & CERTIFICATION:
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Program Management Professional Course, PMI | 2024
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Applied Cryptography CS5920, UCCS | 2024
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Crash Course in Data Science, John Hopkins University | 2021
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Space Situational Awareness, Aerospace Corp Professional Course | 2018
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GEOINT Professional Certification Level 1 | 2016
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Leadership Organizational Effectiveness, School of Leadership Management | 2016
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Advanced Orbital Mechanics, Space 100, 200, 300, & Acquisition 101 via Defense Acquisition University, National Security Space Institute | 2008 – 2018
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Bachelor of Arts, Univ of Hawaii | 2008
AWARDS:
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Marquis Who’s Who Honoree | Feb 2024
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Field Grade Officer of the Quarter | 2022
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Team of the Quarter | 2021
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Field Grade Officer of the Year | 2020
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National Intelligence Innovation Award | 2018
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National Intelligence Professional Award | 2017
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Instructor of the Year | 2014
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Crew of the Year | 2012
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National Defense Service Medal
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Joint Meritorious Unit Award
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Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
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Air and Space Campaign Medal – 1 device
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Air Force Training Ribbon
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Air Force Special Duty Ribbon
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Air Force Outstanding Unit Award – 1 device
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Air Force Commendation Medal -1 device
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AF Longevity Service – 1 device
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National Meritorious Unit Citation

Alvaro is the co-founder and CCO of Leanspace, a European startup building the digital infrastructure of the space industry. He is in charge of all the commercial aspects, which includes sales, marketing, CX and customer success.

Throughout his career, he has been an R&D engineer for Formula 1 race cars, project manager for multi-million corporate strategic investments, and has held various management roles in the space industry. Alvaro has worked in Europe, the Americas, the Middle East and Asia.

Alvaro holds a MSc in Mechanical Engineering and a degree in Astrophysics from the Australian National University. He is an alumnus of the RealAcad Venture Management & Leadership Program at both Stanford University and National University of Singapore. Since 2008, he has been a coach at the Coaching SIL organization, with a particular focus on Neuro-Linguistic Programming.

When Alvaro is not on the job, he loves playing music, traveling somewhere far and dusty, and experiencing how people see the world.

Bulent Altan is a space industry veteran, was key in establishing SpaceX’s avionics department, and served as Vice-President overseeing the company’s Falcon and Dragon vehicles and early Starlink efforts. During his more than two decades in the industry he led significant advancements in aerospace including launchers, capsules, communications systems and more. He is a Founding Partner at the industry-insider led venture capital firm Alpine Space Ventures exclusively investing in early-stage companies in the space sector.

Eric Anderson is President of And One Technologies and a startup investor, advisor and mentor in aerospace, IoT, mobility and medical systems. He has contributed to dozens of space products, missions, and programs. Eric currently supports technology and business aspects of several satellite and space activities. He emphasizes delivery of data and services via new technologies, channels, and business models including government access and use of emerging commercial space products and services.

As Chief Technologist for Space at Moog, he helped lead the company’s space business and collaborated with worldwide colleagues on business strategy, technology and innovation across multiple markets. Eric was part of the leadership team at the nationally-recognized small company CSA Engineering, serving several years as President.

He was on the technical staff at Jet Propulsion Laboratory, worked at Sikorsky Aircraft, served eight years as a city Planning Commissioner and is on the board of the Kenya-based education non-profit The Kilgoris Project. Eric earned BS, MS and Ph.D. degrees in Aeronautics and Astronautics at MIT.

Dr. Jun Asakawa founded Pale Blue in 2020 to develop next-generation space mobility after working as an assistant professor at the University of Tokyo Graduate School of Frontier Sciences. He has led the development of propulsion systems for Procyon Probe (world’s first deep space microsatellite), AQT-D Satellite (water propulsion system), EQUULEUS Satellite (water propulsion system) and other small satellite/spacecraft. With his expertise in propulsion systems, Dr. Asakawa has won MIT Tech Review “Innovators Under 35 Japan 2020,” IEPC “Best Paper Award,” and has been selected as Bloomberg New Economy Catalysts 2022.

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.

Sir Peter Joseph Beck  is an entrepreneur and founder of Rocket Lab, a leading end-to-end space company that develops and operates spacecraft, satellite components and launch vehicles.

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.

Bransford rounds out the team with his practice that spans regulatory compliance and authorization needs for space and satellite companies. This includes guiding clients through every aspect required for obtaining launch authority for satellites and other space equipment, including obtaining Special Temporary Authority from the FCC and coordinating the process across all interested federal agencies as well as international bodies such as the International Telecommunication Union and regulatory agencies in the UK, Australia, Japan, and elsewhere. Bransford’s practice also includes advocacy and compliance guidance on terrestrial wireless matters and securing equipment authorization for wireless devices requiring FCC approval. Before his law firm career, Bransford served as a law clerk in the FCC’s Satellite Division and held management positions at several prominent satellite network operators based in the Greater Washington, D.C., region.

Dr. Owen Brown is the Vice President of Solutions Development at Scientific Systems Company, Inc. (SSCI).  SSCI develops artificial intelligence software that is deployed at the vehicle edge in all domains for the US military.   Owen received a B.S. in Engineering Science from Loyola University in Baltimore and then entered the US Navy’s Nuclear Power program.  He served onboard the fast attack submarines USS Flying Fish (SSN 673) and USS Sturgeon (SSN 637).  After leaving active duty Owen spent over a decade in Palo Alto. There, he received both a M.S. and Ph.D. in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering from Stanford University, with his PhD work performed at the NASA Ames Research Center.  Owen also served as a spacecraft engineer at Space Systems/Loral (now Maxar) for seven years.  He returned to the east coast in 2001.  From 2001 to 2003 he provided technical support to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)/Tactical Technology Office (TTO) and then served as a DARPA/TTO program manager from 2003 to 2009.  While in this job he managed the highly successful Microsatellite Technology Experiment (MiTEx) program.  He created the fractionated spacecraft paradigm – which many acknowledge was a prime catalyst for today’s proliferated satellite architectures.  This DARPA activity led to the System F6 program that he began and managed.  Upon leaving DARPA he became the CTO of KTSi, a defense technical consulting organization.  There he served as a member of independent review teams for advanced classified Air Force space programs.  KTSi later became part of SAIC.  Owen led the congressionally mandated Orbital Traffic Management study in 2016-2017 and was a member of the National Academy of Science’s Space Defense and Protection Committee.  He has been a frequent speaker and panel chair on space topics and was a Distinguished Lecturer for the AIAA from 1996 to 2001.

Steve “Bucky” Butow is the Director of the Space Portfolio at the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU). He joined the team in 2015 as an early plank owner when DIU was known as the Defense Innovation Unit Experimental (DIUx) and helped establish the organization’s operating locations in Silicon Valley, California; Boston, Massachusetts; and Austin, Texas.

In his reserve capacity, Butow is a Brigadier General serving as the Commander of the California Air National Guard where he leads 4,900 Airmen assigned to five wings and a headquarters staff. Prior to this assignment, he was a Special Assistant to the Director, Air National Guard.
Butow is a former Commander of the 129th Rescue Wing at Moffett Federal Airfield, CA, where his responsibilities included organizing, training, equipping, and maintaining 970 combat-ready forces and $1 Billion dollars of special mission aircraft and equipment supporting the U.S. Air Force’s combat rescue and personnel recovery missions. He has previously served as the Deputy Director of the Joint Search and Rescue Center for U.S. Central Command in 2005, and as Chief of Personnel Recovery for U.S. Air Forces Central in 2007 supporting Operations IRAQI and ENDURING FREEDOM. Prior to joining DIU, Butow was the Vice Chief of the Joint Staff, California Military Department with responsibilities including cybersecurity, incident awareness and innovation. He has more than 3,500 flying hours in T-37, T-38, C-130, HC-130 and MC-130P aircraft.

As a researcher with the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute, Butow worked on instrument concepts for Mars surface soil analysis at NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, CA. He later served as co-principal investigator for a series of airborne science missions for which he was recognized for outstanding achievement and contributions to the Space Science Division in 1999 and received an Ames Honor Award as a member of an Astrobiology Mission Project Team in 2000.

Butow graduated from San Jose State University with a B.A. in Physics & Astronomy and earned a M.S. in Management with specialization in Air and Space Strategic Studies from the University of Maryland. He has also completed executive courses at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, and was a member of the National Leadership Preparedness Initiative (NPLI) Cohort 16. Butow is a lifetime member of the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi for academic achievement.

Alan Campbell is a Principal Space Products Solutions Architect at Amazon Web Services (AWS). His focus is on empowering customers with innovative new Cloud-based scalable solutions for the Aerospace & Satellite segment. Alan specializes in Data Analytics / ML enabling key insights in Satellite Communications, Earth Observation, and IoT platforms.

Prior to joining AWS, Alan directed the Panasonic Avionics Satellite Engineering team, delivering premium QoE to Inflight passengers. He led a major Cloud & Data migration of 100+ applications resulting in cost savings and SLA improvements.

Alan’s experience ranges from a Fellowship award at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, to authoring a book on Embedded Systems at Texas Instruments. He holds multiple Cloud certifications, satellite credentials and patents.

Thomas (Tom) B. Campbell is Chief Operating Officer at Redwire. In this role, Tom is responsible for designing, implementing and enforcing policies to promote a culture of safety, operational excellence and on-time delivery. Tom oversees all operations analysis, contracts, training and recruiting, integration, facilities and policy personnel.

Prior to being named Chief Operating Officer, Tom was Executive Vice President of Deployable Solutions at Redwire, where he led all operations in Redwire’s Deployable Solutions business unit, focused on delivering mission-critical solar arrays, antennas, and custom deployable structures to civil, commercial, and defense customers.

Before Redwire’s acquisition of Made In Space, Tom held a variety of increasingly responsible leadership roles at Made In Space, Made In Space Europe, and Oakman Aerospace.

Prior to this, Tom was general manager of Space Antennas and Structures for L3Harris’ Space and Airborne Systems segment. In this role, he was responsible for all aspects of a multi-customer, multi-technology space antennas business area, including business strategy, new business pursuits, program execution, and customer relationships. Tom also held other leadership roles at L3 Harris, including Director of Innovation, Space Antennas business development manager, engineering manager, and project leader and mechanical designer of precision deployable space structures.

Tom serves as a board member to Applied Kilovolts and is a council member for the Florida High Tech Corridor. He has served on the AIA Engineering Management Council and the Florida State Mechanical Engineering Advisory Board.

Tom holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan.

Dan cofounded LeoLabs to accelerate the new commercial economy in LEO, protect satellite assets, and preserve the space environment. LeoLabs is the first commercial data source for tracking satellites and mapping LEO. Prior to co-founding LeoLabs Dan was a Program Director at SRI International where he supervised the Allen Telescope Array and developed advanced radar imaging technologies. Dan holds a Ph. D. from U. C. Berkeley in electrical engineering.

Paul brings over 40 years of aerospace & defense industry experience to the Avalanche Technology team. He has held leadership engineering, sales, business development and management roles at semiconductor foundries (SkyWater & Cypress) to aerospace-targeted component solutions at Actel, Achronix, and Avalanche to board level products at Cobham & Mercury Systems all the way to system level satellite payload development at Hughes, NGC, and Boeing. As General Manager within Avalanche Technology, known as the leader of next generation Perpendicular STT-MRAM technology, accepted as the frontrunner to replace traditional Flash and SRAM for unified memory architectures in space-based systems, Paul applies this deep subject matter expertise and customer-focused acumen to provide scalable platform storage & configuration solutions, overcoming decades old bottlenecks. He holds BS degrees in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering from UCSB and California State University Long Beach, respectively.

Robert R. Cleave has over 35 years’ experience in the space industry as an engineer, program manager and executive leader with profit & loss responsibilities. He has worked nearly every mission area, from rovers on Mars to remote sensing and communication satellites. Robert has also worked every segment of the value chain, spanning spacecraft and payloads, launch vehicles and ground systems. He managed over $2B in business at Lockheed Martin, was President and Chairman of Lockheed Martin Commercial Launch Services business unit, and successfully delivered secure networking solutions to the US Government, and the Governments of Spain and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He managed investment portfolios and led multiple strategic investments into several emerging companies in the space ecosystem.

Robert continuously seeks to create use cases where space-based solutions are leveraged to improve life on earth. In the mid-1990s, he invented a satellite-enabled machine-to-machine solution which remains in use today, and later was the founder of XTAR, LLC, the worlds’ first satellite operator to exclusively offer communication services at the coveted X frequency band.

More recently, Cleave has focused on ground-based technologies, and co-founded NewSpace Networks Inc., a software company building technologies to improve networking efficiency leveraging virtualization and edge computing. Robert is also a co-founder of Secure PNT Inc., a company building digital satellite antenna technologies for noise suppression and signal enhancement.

He is a member of the founding team, a technical advisor and Executive Committee member to the Neo Space Group in Saudi Arabia; a strategic advisor to ABL Space; a strategic advisor to a satellite operator in South-East Asia; and a Subject Matter Expert to multiple corporations and national labs.

Robert has published over 25 technical and business papers and an active speaker at multiple conferences, including a TED event. He has originated or co-authored seven patents related to space and received multiple awards throughout his career. Robert earned an Aerospace Engineering degree at Arizona State University and a Systems Engineering Certificate from the University of Southern California. He is an angel investor in multiple non-space businesses and is a leading investor in a non-profit that he hopes will eventually leverage satellite technology for tracking and eliminating plastic waste in our oceans.

Robert J. Conrad is the President of Kepler Communications U.S., a company building Internet connectivity for space. Robert will lead Kepler U.S. as the company builds a high-performing team to expand its optical data relay network to serve the U.S. government market. Throughout a 30-year career, he has led over $1 billion in sales supporting ground and space systems for the U.S. government and commercial space industry. Conrad is a seasoned business development, strategy, and operational executive with decades of experience in the aerospace sector, driving organizational growth and profitability. He has served in many executive leadership roles ranging from vice president, chief operations officer, and chief executive officer. He has extensive expertise in building high-performance teams to manage complex systems. Robert earned his Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University with a concentration in RF & Satellite Communications and a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Capitol College. He holds a U.S. Patent on a wide band continuously tunable satellite QPSK transceiver.

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.

Meagan is an expert in finance and entrepreneurship, with a specific focus on the most exciting new business sector of our time, space commercialization. Meagan is also a start-up coach, a mentor, and frequent non-profit volunteer. She helps convert big ideas into practical business opportunities by working with companies that are involved in exciting endeavors that benefit mankind, such as the commercialization of space, development of green energy projects, and structuring of next generation financial services.

Viktor has been working on satellite systems engineering through various positions at EnduroSat for the past 6 years. He took the role of CTO in early 2021 and has been responsible for the company’s satellite-as-a-service and satellite hardware products portfolio since. His background in theoretical physics and numerical programming drives him towards formal descriptions and modelling of all technological aspects from the early mission phase to in-orbit operations. His previous role as a Mission Manager at the company has placed him in direct communication with many of EnduroSat’s customers, helping him to bridge the gap between technical and business needs.

Viktor holds a MSc in Theoretical Astrophysics from Sofia University of Bulgaria and his PhD from the same university in early 2023. He is also a graduate of the Innovation & Growth program of Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Timur Davis is an Investment Director at Munich Re Ventures, where he leads the ClimateTech and Future of Transportation investment sectors. He focuses on companies addressing some of world’s most pressing challenges, including strengthening climate resilience, improving sustainability, enabling the energy transition, and creating new paradigms for the movement of people, goods, and data across transportation domains. In the space sector, notable investments include Starfish Space, Orbit Fab, and Okapi Orbits.

Prior to joining Munich Re Ventures, Timur held key roles in venture capital as a Principal at Canapi Ventures and Live Oak Ventures, and as a Senior Investment Manager at Samsung Ventures. Earlier in his career, Timur was a strategy consultant with the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in New York where he led consulting engagements focused on growth strategy in a variety of fields including banking, pharmaceuticals, and enterprise software.

Timur lives in San Francisco and holds a PhD from the Department of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics at Columbia University and a BS in Materials Science and Engineering from Rutgers University.

Eivind Kristoffersen de Badts is the Director of Satellite Operations at KSAT, where he plays a key role in advancing the company’s capabilities to become a fully integrated mission service provider. With an extensive background in project management, Eivind’s team has successfully deployed KSAT’s multi-mission operations concept, which integrates satellite operations and ground network services to offer seamless solutions to both commercial and institutional customers.

Throughout his career at KSAT, Eivind has worked closely with customers from both commercial and agency sectors, gaining in-depth expertise across the satellite operations and ground network sides of mission execution. His team ensures that KSAT’s satellite operations continue to meet the evolving needs of the space industry, enabling satellite owners to focus on downstream product activities.

Eivind has held several roles at KSAT, including Satellite Operations Manager and Project Manager, where he contributed to the development of KSAT’s satellite command and control systems. He holds a Master’s degree in Energy, Climate, and Environment from UiT – The Arctic University of Norway, with additional research experience from the University of California, Berkeley.

Guy has over two decades of experience in the space industry, including the assembly and integration of nanosatellites for the Space Flight Lab in Toronto, GNC software for Firefly, and developing critical flight software and simulation models for the NASA Johnson Space Center.  He was awarded the JSC Exceptional Software of the year award. Guy starting Cognitive Space in 2018, with the objective of bringing AI/ML technology to the space industry to make full and effective use of what Space has to offer to humanity. Cognitive Space has developed AI-driven technology for the automation of hybrid space systems at scale for both Government and Commercial applications to effectively meet mission needs.

Emile de Rijk is the founder and CEO of SWISSto12 – one of Europe’s fastest growing

aerospace companies. Emile founded SWISSto12 in 2011 as a spinoff from his PhD at the Swiss

Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL). He led the company’s growth into aerospace and telecommunications, making it the first scale-up to sell a Geostationary telecom satellite, HummingSat, to a global operator. Emile has co-invented 15+ patents, raised over €30 million, and secured over €350 million in commercial contracts.

Matt Desch is the Chief Executive Officer of Iridium Communications Inc., the only satellite communications company that offers truly global voice and data coverage. He has more than 40 years of experience in telecommunications management, and more than 30 years in the global wireless industry. Joining Iridium in 2006, Desch has been responsible for leading the innovation and growth of Iridium, which includes taking the company public on Nasdaq (IRDM) in 2009, completing the financing and development of Iridium® NEXT, the company’s $3 billion investment in upgrading the Iridium network with powerful new satellites, and launching Iridium Certus®, a multi-service broadband platform enabled by the upgraded constellation. With Mr. Desch at the helm, Iridium’s active subscriber base has grown from 150,000 in 2006, to nearly 1.8 million today, and dramatically expanded its operational earnings and free cash flow, while moving into important new services like global space-based aircraft tracking with its joint-venture, Aireon. Mr. Desch serves as a member of the U.S. President’s National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee (NSTAC) and is a member on the Board of Trustees of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) and the Board of Directors of Unisys, global IT services firm. Mr. Desch holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from The Ohio State University and a Master of Business Administration from The University of Chicago.

Preston Dunlap has over 20 years of executive leadership experience across technology, national security, and private investment. He is the founder of Arkenstone Ventures, serves on Boards and as Lead Independent Director of Pixxel Space Technologies, advises Fortune 100 and growth companies, private equity, venture capital, and institutions such as RAND, Stanford, and MIT and is a Senior External Advisor at Bain & Company.

He led the Defense Department’s Investment Committee strategy, analysis, and diligence for the Secretary of Defense to allocate and deploy $750B+ annually in industry sectors supporting national security, such as infrastructure, services, space, cybersecurity and software, AI, communications, transportation and logistics, ships, aircraft, vehicles, and weapons.

Mr. Dunlap started $250B+ of new programs with 4 Secretaries of Defense, including the newly unveiled B-21 bomber, Hypersonic Prompt Strike, classified space and intelligence, and Joint All-Domain Command and Control programs.

He led initiatives with the Vice President of the United States and Cabinet on the future of commercial, civil, and national security space, transformed federal Venture Capital investment, was the first Chief Technology Officer of the Space Force and Air Force with $75B of products, and served on the ground floor of successful software and infrastructure companies.

He holds a Master of Science in Operations Research and Management Science from George Mason University, a Bachelor’s degree in both Computer Science and Political Science from Duke University, and was a Harvard National Security Executive Fellow.

Mr. Dunlap is frequently cited as an authority in international media and as an expert witness for the United States Congress. His awards include the Secretary of Defense Medal for Meritorious Civilian Service, Secretary of the Air Force Medal for Meritorious Civilian Service, and Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Civilian Service.

Dr Marco Esposito is Managing Director at cosine Remote Sensing.

Marco completed his PhD in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Naples, specializing in airborne remote sensing for air quality and land management. Having worked on various aerospace projects in Italy, most recently as coordinator of the Environmental Research Aircraft Lab of the Italian National Research Council, Marco moved to the Netherlands.

Marco spent almost 4 years at ESA ESTEC as calibration engineer first, in the science department working on EUV to IR sensors calibration for future planetary missions, and then as performance engineer in the Earth Observation department working on Sentinel 5 Precursor spectrometer TROPOMI.

Marco has been involved in a variety of research and development activities at cosine, all focusing on the miniaturization of optical instruments for Earth Observation and miniaturized suites of instruments for planetary exploration. Marco has been leading the development of space products including space Lidars for vegetation and bathymetry, as well as intelligent spectral imagers for EO from small satellites. He has produced more than 40 scientific publications, either as first author or as a co-author.

Having gained experience as system and performance engineer, project manager, program manager and team leader at cosine, Marco became managing director of cosine Remote Sensing as well as of the Italian branch of cosine.

Marco led the commercialization of the hyperspectral product line at cosine, the first ever miniaturized class of imagers able to connect hyperspectral, thermal imaging and artificial intelligence techniques in one compact solution for the Earth observation market.

Marco is currently leading the scale-up of the remote sensing business at cosine as well as the setup of the space factory for the series production of smart remote sensing instruments for Earth Observation.

Debra Facktor leads the Airbus U.S. Space Systems line of business, with a focus on small satellites produced for commercial and government customers at the company’s manufacturing facility in Merritt Island, Florida, and on space exploration activities in the U.S.

Debra sits on the board of directors for Starlab Space LLC, a joint venture between Voyager and Airbus to build and operate a next-generation commercial space station. She also served on the board of the Airbus OneWeb Satellites joint venture prior to its recent acquisition by Airbus U.S.

Before joining Airbus U.S., Debra was Vice President and General Manager of Strategic Operations for Ball Aerospace, leading the company’s Washington DC operations, strategic development, and marketing and communications.

She is actively engaged as an advisor and mentor in the aerospace community, serving as chair of the Space & Satellite Professionals International-Women in Space Engagement (SSPI-WISE) and is a fellow of AIAA, the American Astronautical Society (AAS) and an academician of the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA).

Debra received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in aerospace engineering from the University of Michigan and is an alumna of the International Space University summer session program in Strasbourg, France.

Chris Faletra has more than 35 years of experience in the satellite communications industry. Born in Boston, MA, Chris’s satcom career began at GTE Telecom International Systems, Waltham, MA in 1986. He has a Bachelors Degree in Eletrical Engineering from Northeastern University. As an accomplished executive with a strong background in engineering and sales, he brings a wealth of hands-on experience to the table and oversee all aspects of Teleport Services and drive the business development strategy. Recent integration with Goonhilly positions COMSAT to expand its GEO/MEO/LEO hosting services footprint by adding the Goonhilly UK Earth Station and the future Australian Earth Station to our portfolio.

Tim has over 30 years of experience across the telecom and satellite industries, having worked for leading consulting firms in both the UK and US. In 2002, Tim founded his own consulting company, TMF Associates, based in Menlo Park, CA, which has supported numerous operators, suppliers and investors, on market and technical analysis, business planning, and due diligence assignments. He was President of MSUA from 2006 to 2015 and since 2016 has been an independent director of Marlink.

Dr. Marino Fragnito joined AVIO in September 2024 as Chief Commercial Officer, he also manages the new Launch Service division of the company, taking over responsibility from Arianespace for the exploitation of the Vega family launchers.

Between March 2016 and September 2024, he was Senior Vice President at Arianespace and member of the Executive Committee. As head of Vega Business Unit he managed the overall Vega activities and controlled its associated Profit & Loss.

From January 2009 until March 2016 he served at the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) as Launch Services Manager. He previously covered different positions in industry, he began his career in Cannes, at Alcatel Space Industries, as mechanical engineer on telecom satellite projects and then joined ELV (European Launch Vehicle, an AVIO and Italian Space Agency company) in 2003 where he was later appointed Head of Mechanical Systems Development in the frame of the Vega development program. Before joining EUMETSAT he was also Head of the launcher design department at AVIO.

Marino Fragnito is an Aeronautical Engineer and holds a Ph.D. in Aerospace Science and Technology.

Dan Freyer is an industry veteran with over two decades of experience helping leading satellite builders, operators,
and users grow their business and pioneer new digital technologies for space networks, including the commercial development of Cloud Services for space.  Currently with Capgemini, he has held prior positions in commercial development with SES, Ericsson, Orange, Intelsat, Hughes and Northrop Grumman.

Assi Friedman, Innoflight.

Mr. Friedman is the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for Innoflight. Mr. Friedman has a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and a Master of Business Administration in new product development, both from Arizona State University.

Mr. Friedman’s early experience is rooted in passion for Amateur and University class microsats that dates back to the early 1990’s. Professionally, that experience evolved to support dozens of commercial and government space missions.

Mr. Friedman has experience designing SmallSat subsystems, spacecraft systems, and missions. He brings extensive low-cost, low-power, cross disciplinary design techniques from the commercial sectors and successfully implements them in the government sector to meet stringent performance and quality requirements.

Mr. Friedman’s passion is wireless communications systems together with strong emphasis in networking and cyber-security disciplines. He is proud to be a part of the space revolution of the past decade, and looks forward to architecting the next generation of communications and cyber-security solutions.

Karl Fuchs joined iDirect Government in 2004 as the Director of Sales Engineering, just as the satellite-based IP communications company was expanding its very small aperture satellite (VSAT) market presence into the federal government and international Internet Protocol (IP) networking world. He now works as the Sr. Vice President of Technology.
With more than 25 years of experience in technology and with the federal government, Fuchs leads iDirect Government’s team of federal sales engineers, hardware engineers, software engineers, and serves as chief architect for new product integration.
Prior to joining iDirect Government, Fuchs was Director of Systems Engineering at Nortel Networks, where he oversaw the Verizon account team of systems engineers, leading the design of IP, Frame Relay, Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) and dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) networks. Before joining Nortel, he designed IP and ATM networks for Sprint and the federal government.
Active in the satellite industry for more than 20 years, Fuchs has contributed editorial to numerous publications including Federal Computer Week, Institute for Defense and Government Advancement, COTS Journal, Military Information Technology, Via Satellite, MILSATCOM and Satellite Evolution Global. In addition, he has been a featured speaker at leading industry events including the DoD SATCOM User Workshop, ISCe, IBC, Pacific Telecommunications Council and Emergency Management Talks.
Fuchs holds a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from George Mason University, Fairfax, Va. and an MBA from Averett University, Danville, Va.

Clément Galic graduated from École Nationale de l’Aviation Civile (ENAC) in 2007.

In 2015, Clément Galic and his brothers, Jonathan and Benjamin, realized that maritime stakeholders were sorely lacking visibility in their own waters (Exclusive Economic Zone, continental shelf, territorial waters, etc.). The maritime industry was limited by legacy surveillance systems, and could not gain an overview of maritime traffic. There was an extensive lack of geolocation data and many ships could engage in unlawful activities. This is why they decided to create Unseenlabs.

Thanks to the technology developed by the Galic brothers, Unseenlabs has become the first French private company to launch a satellite into space. Unseenlabs is today a world leader in space-based RF for the detection of vessels at sea.

The space-based RF detection technology developed by Unseenlabs enables the geolocation of all the vessels navigating at sea, at any time of the day or night, anywhere on the globe, in any weather conditions.

Unseenlabs provides accurate data on maritime traffic, and meets the needs of multiple public and private stakeholders like states, maritime insurance companies, shipowners, NGOs, etc.

The solution provided by Unseenlabs allows powerful actions against unlawful activities at sea such as illegal fishing, overfishing, illegal dumping or piracy.

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.

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.

Dennis founded LEOcloud to bring to market the first Space-hardened, scalable, multi-cloud Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). LEOcloud Space Edge™ IaaS will enable the lowest latency and highest security for AI and analytics applications hosted in LEO, the lunar region and beyond. Multi-cloud services hosted in Space will drive competitive and operational advantage for commercial, government and military organizations.

He is a thought leader for Space-based cloud services, and believes the emerging Space economy will require terrestrial communications and cloud infrastructure to be extended into Space.

Prior to forming LEOcloud, Dennis was the Chief Commercial Officer for Cloud Constellation Corporation where he had global responsibilities for sales, marketing, channel management, and strategic alliances.

Dennis has over 35 years of experience in terrestrial, aerospace and Space-based technology, solutions and managed services. He has a track record of bringing emerging technologies to market working, with global partners and service providers to introduce next generation solutions into their communications and cloud service offerings.

He earned his BS in Electrical Engineering from Virginia Tech, and his MBA from Radford University.

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 to take on her leading role at 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.

Daniel Gizinski is the Chief Strategy Officer at Comtech. In his current role, Daniel is focused on creating comprehensive strategies and developing innovative technologies that will help ensure the U.S. Department of Defense and coalition forces maintain a strategic advantage across today’s information dominant battlespace. Daniel collaborates with teams across the enterprise to develop cutting-edge, integrated solutions that address the most challenging mission needs of today while anticipating capabilities that will be needed in the future.

During his tenure with Comtech, Daniel has held multiple senior management and leadership positions including serving as the President of Comtech Satellite Network Technologies, Inc. and holding a position as Vice President of Product and Strategy for Comtech Systems, Inc. Prior to joining Comtech in 2019, Daniel held program management and leadership positions at General Electric, Sierra Nevada Corporation and L3Harris Technologies.
Daniel holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Virginia and a master’s degree from Duke University.

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 Chair Emeritus of Space & Satellite Professionals International (SSPI), mentors through Women in Space Engagement (SSPI-WISE), the Techstars Starburst Space Accelerator, Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC), and supports the ITU’s Girls in ICT initiative.

Lori Gordon, MPA, PMP is a Systems Director in the Corporate Chief Engineer’s Office at The Aerospace Corporation, leading national security, cybersecurity, and infrastructure protection and resilience enterprise integration initiatives for the space enterprise. With almost two decades of experience in the Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) and private sector communities, she has advised a range of federal agencies in initiatives to accelerate technology innovation in complex systems while mitigating national security and civil space enterprise risk. Ms. Gordon is a Partner with Aerospace’s Center for Space Policy and Strategy (CSPS) and a Fellow at the National Security Institute (NSI), and has served on several curriculum advisory boards in cybersecurity and information technology, law and government, and resilient design. Ms. Gordon holds a Masters in Public Administration from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

As the Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) of Isar Aerospace, Stella Guillen is responsible for all Strategy, Business Development, Sales, and Marketing activities. Stella’s background spans the satellite industry, from telecommunications to launch services.

From 2010 to 2016, Stella built up and oversaw sales efforts and client relationships for SpaceX. She joined the company at an early stage of the Falcon 9 / Falcon Heavy program, signing SpaceX’s first European customers such as SES, Inmarsat, Eutelsat, Hispasat, and others, winning more than $1B in sales. Stella worked in different Business Development and Sales positions: for Arianespace, Inc. and Spaceflight Industries, she managed all aspects of the launch services sales and marketing activities for customers and some of the largest satellite fleet operators such as SES, Intelsat, and satellite service providers such as Spacenet and Verestar, she opened new markets worldwide extending their customer base and raising company valuation.

She holds an MBA from Johns Hopkins University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Loyola University.

Dr. Alexis Harroun is the founder and CEO of Juno Propulsion Inc., a new space startup located in Seattle, WA. Juno Propulsion is developing the next generation of high fuel efficiency rocket propulsion. Prior to Juno, Dr. Harroun earned her Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from Purdue University. She has previously worked at NASA, Blue Origin, and the Boeing Company.

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. Lucy Hoag is the Founder and CEO of Violet Labs, an early stage startup building single-source-of-truth software for complex hardware engineering teams. The Violet platform is the first SaaS integration platform that is purpose-built for hardware. Like Zapier, but for rockets and robots.

Prior to founding Violet, Lucy spent time as a Systems Engineer and Technical Program Manager at DARPA (SETA for TTO), Google, Waymo, Lyft and Amazon, helping bring satellite, self-driving car and drone projects to life.

Brian Holt has over 23 years of leadership experience in the Federal Government (U.S. Air Force and Space Force), Aerospace and Defense, and Space industries.

His roles have included CEO, Director of Business Development, Senior Program Manager, DoD Innovation Fund Manager, U.S. Diplomat, and Subject Matter Expert in Non-Kinetic Effects and Space Debris. As a recognized expert in National Space Debris, Brian has advised NASA, NOAA, the White House, and Congress. He led the creation and execution of the Space Force Orbital Prime Program to seed investment for the ISAM market. Brian has managed programs and portfolios valued up to $1.7B.

Brian received a BS degree in Electrical Engineering from the Virginia Military Institute in 2003, an MBA from the University of Colorado in 2012, and a Masters of Science from The George Washington University in 2015.

Jeff Huggins is an aerospace and defense sector expert, growth leader and President of the U.S. arm of Cailabs, a global company and leading player in laser communications.

After leaving behind a distinguished career as a Naval Intelligence Officer, during which he focused on national overhead and intelligence systems, Jeff moved into the private sector, where he held senior roles at several major companies, including Israel Aerospace Industries North America and Raytheon. He led the expansion of an established $24 million company, driving it to more than $40 million in value between 2016 and 2020, and served as the CEO and Chairman of the Board of the U.S. classified aerospace wing of Safran. Safran, a major French aviation company, is the second-largest aircraft equipment manufacturer in the world.

Jeff, who also worked as a presidential appointee in the State Department, holds a Bachelor of Science in engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy and an MBA from the Darden School of business at the University of Virginia with additional graduate studies at the Naval War College and the Naval Postgraduate School.

He is considered an expert in combining the creative applications of tech, people and solutions to grow companies. At Cailabs, he is driving growth in the U.S. to meet rising demand from the defense and commercial sectors.

Matt Jenkins joined Maxar Intelligence as the Chief Space Systems Officer in September 2024. He brings two decades of systems engineering leadership, including extensive experience in serving remote sensing and highly technical government missions. With extensive technical expertise in passive and active electro-optical and infrared systems, lasers and radio frequency (RF) systems, he has helped build dozens of advanced spacecrafts that are on orbit today.

Prior to joining Maxar Intelligence, Matt was Head of Engineering for Amazon Project Kuiper’s Government Solutions team, where he led the design of advanced and resilient systems to support U.S. national security priorities. Before that, he was the Director of Space Engineering at Pacific Defense Strategies, where he led the development of innovative RF payloads for national security and space domain awareness missions.

Earlier in his career, he spent more than 15 years at Raytheon, including serving as Chief Systems Engineer for the company’s missile warning and defense systems business, as well as leading Raytheon’s Space System Engineering team. During his time there, he led the team responsible for designing the optical imaging instrument in Maxar’s WorldView Legion satellites.

Matt earned a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Optics from the University of Rochester, and a Master’s degree in Systems Engineering from Johns Hopkins University. He also holds two remote sensing-related patents, and developed 20+ trade secrets in optical system assembly integration and test.

Lewis is a VP at Generation Space, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Seraphim Space Manager which manages a $300M AUM fund entirely focused on space. Lewis holds a first-class Aerospace degree from the University of Southampton and was previously a Thermal Analyst working on jet engines at Rolls-Royce. At Generation Space, Lewis has supported more than 20 transactions into space businesses, responsible for over $150m of deployed capital.

Ari leads company operations at Starfish Space, overseeing functions including finance, people operations, and marketing, among others. During his time at Starfish, Ari has helped coordinate the company’s Series A fundraise, built the company’s hiring and organizational infrastructure, and spearheaded marketing for the Otter Pup mission.

Prior to Starfish, Ari was a member of the National Football League’s business development team, negotiating partnerships with some of the world’s largest digital platforms, and contributing to the league’s content strategy for OTT streaming platforms. Before joining the NFL, Ari was a consultant at McKinsey & Company, helping large legacy companies build new digital business units.

Mr. Amir Kashanizadeh has spent the past 20 years at the forefront of high-tech, serving as a system architect, project manager, and business developer in satellite communications, telecommunications and networking arenas, as well as Satellite Service Provision.

Amir Joined SpaceBridge in 2009, and since then, he has achieved numerous Milestones.  Most of these projects have been selected by the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and other governmental Scientific innovation funding programs.

Prior to joining SpaceBridge, Mr. Kashanizadeh served as a designer and project manager of Terrestrial infrastructures, Campus LAN, WAN and Metro Ethernet networks in the National projects, where he received the Award of Excellence for leading and implementing the best project of the year in Industry (2006).

Christian is the Vice President of External Relations at Astranis. He joined Astranis in 2019 and was quickly tapped as the company’s first Chief of Staff, a role that he held for four years. Christian piloted and scaled a number of business teams including finance, recruiting, government sales, and more. His current portfolio includes regulatory affairs, government relations, international relations, public relations, and marketing.

Before Astranis, Christian served as a management consultant at Deloitte, where he focused on major strategic initiatives for domestic and international telecommunications clients. Key project engagements included developing tools, tactics, and competitive intelligence for a $10 billion purchase of wireless spectrum, providing executive strategic support for an $85 billion merger, and managing CFIUS compliance for a $22 billion acquisition.

Christian earned an MBA from UC Berkeley and a B.S. from the University of Michigan.

Lyon (Brad) King is a plasma-physicist-turned-street-fighting CEO and Co-founder of Orbion Space Technology. Brad earned his PhD from the University of Michigan studying Hall-effect thrusters before they were cool. Over his three-decade career in academia he has conducted R&D on almost every exotic propellant you can imagine flowing through a Hall thruster, with additional work in the areas of electrospray propulsion, arcjets, and spacecraft/ionosphere interaction for defense and intelligence customers. Since co-founding Orbion Brad has transitioned away from the easy discipline of rocket science and into the much much more difficult discipline of manufacturing: Orbion Space Technology is an AS9100-certified vertical manufacturing company that builds and ships 100s of high-performing, high-quality electric propulsion systems each year.

Dr. Behzad Koosha has over 12 years of experience in aerospace and terrestrial communications. He holds a PhD in Electrical & Computer Engineering from The George Washington University, focusing on satellite communications. Dr. Koosha’s multifaceted career spans technical development, business strategy, and commercialization. His early roles at T-Mobile (formerly Sprint) involved work on wireless terrestrial networks. He has since gained extensive experience at Intelsat, Hughes Network Systems, SpaceLink, and Terran Orbital (a Lockheed Martin company), where he contributed to the development of satellite communications systems while also honing his skills in business development, sales, and marketing. Dr. Koosha has a proven track record in commercializing technologies, developing go-to-market strategies, and driving revenue growth in the aerospace sector. Throughout his career, he has worked on commercial and government proposals, successfully winning contracts as prime for the aerospace and defense industry. His blend of technical expertise and business acumen makes him a valuable asset in bridging engineering innovations with market opportunities. Dr. Koosha is also an adjunct professor at The George Washington University, where he shares his industry insights with the next generation of engineers.

Kevin Lausten is a distinguished leader with over two decades in the space industry, currently serving as the President of Morpheus Space. He holds a Master of Science in Earth Systems and GeoInformatic Sciences from George Mason University, where he focused on hyperspectral imagery and completed a Master’s Thesis on the Temperature Emissivity Separation algorithm for LWIR data. Kevin also earned a Bachelor of Science in Geology from the University of Colorado Boulder.

His earlier career includes roles as an Enterprise Product Manager at Exelis Visual Information Solutions, Lead Sales Engineer at ITT VIS, and Imagery Scientist at The Boeing Company, where he specialized in satellite and airborne imagery processing for government customers. Kevin’s career includes notable roles such as Chief Revenue Officer at Ursa Major Technologies; and Senior Director of Technology and Market Accelerator at Maxar Technologies.

His rich background in geospatial strategy and market dynamics has been instrumental in driving Morpheus Space’s mission to revolutionize satellite propulsion and space mobility.

Chris Lentz serves as a Lockheed Martin Fellow at Lockheed Martin Space, where he is the Chief Architect for Commercial Earth Observation Systems for the company’s Global Situational Awareness mission area.

In this role, Chris is responsible for defining new end-to-end space systems solutions and architectures covering a wide range of remote sensing missions. In addition, he is responsible for identifying new markets and new solutions to meet user needs, engaging with potential customers to define requirements, developing commercial remote sensing strategies, and leading new business pursuits.

Prior to this role, Chris spent the majority of his 30+ year career in systems engineering, specializing in and leading mission performance analysis, Concepts of Operations (CONOPS) development, system interface definition and architecture design.

The remainder of his career was spent supporting programs in a variety of roles, including Systems Engineering Payload Manager, WorldView-4 Satellite Mission Analysis & CONOPS Manager, and Chief Systems Engineer on a variety of remote sensing programs, spanning all phases of program development from concept synthesis, through proposal, design, manufacturing and operations.

Chris received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

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.

Tim Lynch joined Frontgrade as the Chief Strategy Officer coming from L3Harris where he had begun working in 2000. Previous to Frontgrade, Tim was the Vice President of the Multi-Domain Architecture Group within the Space and Airborne Systems Segment. Prior to that, he was the Chief Mission Architect for L3Harris Space Sector and the Senior Director of Advanced Programs with the Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance business unit.

Tim holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from Florida State University. He is a graduate of the Wharton executive leadership program.

Mr. Adam Maher serves as Founder & CEO of Ursa Space Systems Inc (Ursa), whose services enable users to research, monitor, search, and discover changes in physical objects around the globe, from the perspective of space. Ursa Space’s platform orchestrates the collection, analytics, and fusion of data from a virtual constellation of radar, optical, and RF satellites to automate and abstract the complicated process of gaining access to, processing, and fusing satellite data with terrestrial data sources.

Adam’s vision is to improve the satellite Earth observation user experience by bringing the community of traditional and new space members together to illuminate how our physical world impacts daily actions by creating a virtual mosaic of the world that anyone can access. He founded Ursa in 2014 to develop this vision of connecting people to information rich data derived from synthetic aperture radar, seeing an obvious frustration and disconnect between the technology and those who could take full advantage of the capabilities. Today Ursa’s mission is to enable a community of developers to build applications that can illuminate how our physical world impacts daily actions, to understand how changes in the economy, supply chains, and the geopolitical landscape impact daily decisions, and reveal those changes in our ever-evolving world to leaders, professionals, and, one day, all people.

Prior to founding Ursa Space, Adam worked at MAXAR (Space Systems Loral). There, he served as a system engineer from paper to launch for complete satellite builds and multiple successful commercial satellite proposals. In addition to broadband satellite communications work, he also worked on efforts in space robotics, electric propulsion, Earth observation, and government programs.

Adam holds a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering and Master of Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, from Cornell University. At Ursa Space Systems Inc., he uses his knowledge of the satellite industry to fuel his vision of a living world map, where the connection between satellites and users is no longer complicated or difficult, and users are empowered to make better decisions with better data.

Chiara Manfletti holds a degree in aeronautical engineering from Imperial College London, a masters degree in space studies from the International Space University in Strasbourg and a PhD from RWTH Aachen. She worked for the German Aerospace Center, DLR, as a research engineer in the field of liquid rocket propulsion and later joined the European Space Agency in 2016, where she was Head of Policy and Programmes Coordination at ESA. In March 2019 she was nominated the first President of the then just founded Portuguese national space agency, Portugal Space. Today she is Professor of Space Mobility and Propulsion at the Technical University of Munich in Germany and CEO of Neuraspace.

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.

Jason B. Mello is the CEO and Co-Founder of The KMC Group, LLC. Jason provides executive-level strategic consulting to the Defense, Intelligence, and Space sectors for both commercial and government customers. With a focus on corporate strategy and business execution, Jason works with companies by providing strategic solutions, government engagements, proposal support, and advisory services to C-suite leaders focused on driving revenue and growth. Jason is a sought-after speaker, community leader, and mentor to support STEM in schools.

Previously, Jason served as the President of Firefly Space Transport Services (STS), a wholly owned subsidiary of Firefly Aerospace Inc., leading Firefly’s Government Relations, Capture & Proposal Team and its Federal and Commercial Business Unit focused on commercial, civil, and military requirements for space transportation. During his time at Firefly, Jason’s leadership and key government relationships led to the company’s divestiture of its foreign ownership. Leading revenue, he secured multiple commercial launch agreements along with developing a multi-year billion-dollar pipeline key to future growth. Specifically, Jason captured the company’s 1st U.S. Space Force contract to fly the United States Space Force’s VICTUS NOX responsive space mission along with securing major contracts with Lockheed Martin, L3Harris, etc. Jason’s strategic acquisition expertise was key to Firefly’s Northrop Grumman partnership to build a future medium launch vehicle.

Before joining Firefly, Jason served as a Colonel in the United States Air Force at the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), where he held the role of Chief Research and Technology Officer. In this capacity, he oversaw an annual portfolio of over $500 million and 62 senior scientists and engineers responsible for researching and developing future technologies crucial to the Air Force and Space Force.

Prior to his time at AFOSR, Jason was the Director of the National Intelligence Portfolio, where he led the oversight team for the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment overseeing a $9 billion annual portfolio of intelligence community programs. He has a proven history of leading various classified and unclassified satellite and intelligence programs. He led the first Launch Acquisition Division at the National Reconnaissance Office, where he spearheaded the use of small launch vehicles for National Security while executing a $1B annual budget. Jason served at the White House for three years as a White House Military Social Aide. In his 23 years in the Air Force, Jason led in multiple acquisition and operations positions vital to the National Security of the United States.

Jason holds a Master of Arts in Organizational Management from George Washington University, a Master of Engineering from the University of Massachusetts and a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

Beyond his professional endeavors, Jason values family and community. He is happily married with three children and actively contributes to his community as a volunteer for youth baseball and his church. He also serves as the President of the Ashburn Village Community Association, a thriving community with over 5,300 homes and more than 20,000 residents.

Nick Merski is chief operations officer at BlackSky, where he leads the engineering and product operations unit responsible for executing the company’s vision for its constellation, platform, and analytic product suite. Previously, Nick played a pivotal role in overseeing the strategy, development, launch, and operations of the company’s constellation program as its director.

Prior to joining BlackSky, Nick served in the U.S. Air Force as an officer and civil servant. He held multiple program management and system engineering leadership roles for the Air Force’s operational and advanced technology programs, including the Operationally Responsive Space-1 program and the Department of Defense Space Test Program Standard Interface Vehicle.

Nick holds a Master of Science Degree in Systems Engineering from the U.S. Air Force Institute of Technology and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh. Nick also serves on the Board of Managers for LeoStella, a joint venture between BlackSky and Thales Alenia Space.

Tom Mueller is one of the world’s leading spacecraft propulsion experts. As one of SpaceX’s founding members, he led the development of propulsion systems for the Falcon 1, Falcon 9, and Falcon Heavy, as well as the Dragon line of spacecraft. He played a crucial role in the development of the company’s reusable rocket technology, which has dramatically reduced the cost of launching payloads into space. Now as Founder and CEO of Impulse Space, his ultimate vision is to lead the in-space transportation infrastructure that will accelerate the expansion of the overall space economy.

Ahsun Murad is the President and CEO of Optimal Satcom, which he co-founded as a spin-off from Lockheed Martin and Comsat in 2002. Over the last 22 years since its founding, Optimal Satcom has grown to support a large segment of the satellite industry with industry-leading enterprise-level software products and systems for resource management, service planning, optimization, and business intelligence. Over 15 satellite operators, 20 of the largest satellite service providers, and major US Government DoD and civilian agencies use Optimal Satcom products and systems today. As a world expert in satellite communications technology with over 30 years’ experience, Mr. Murad advises satellite companies and governments on satellite system design, application of emerging technologies, and formulating policy decisions. Before founding Optimal Satcom, Mr. Murad held management positions at Lockheed Martin and COMSAT Laboratories. In these positions, he headed the development of products for transmission planning and satellite capacity management and was the lead system architect for a number of commercial SATCOM and MILSATCOM projects. Before joining COMSAT Laboratories, Mr. Murad worked at the NASA Center for Satellite and Hybrid Communications Networks where he was involved in research and development related to hybrid satellite-terrestrial mobile communications systems, and complex multi-satellite systems. Mr. Murad graduated from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, India, with a Bachelor of Technology degree in Electrical Engineering. He holds a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Maryland at College Park.

With over two decades in technology and communications, Jesper Noer is a seasoned leader in the satellite communications industry. As Vice President, Commercial at GateHouse Satcom, Jesper leads global business development and market expansion, ensuring cutting-edge satellite solutions meet the evolving needs of a dynamic industry. His career highlights include shaping the future of satellite connectivity through strategic partnerships and innovative projects.

Jesper’s expertise is particularly evident in the advancement of 5G NB-IoT NTN and 5G New Radio NTN technologies. At GateHouse Satcom, he has played a pivotal role in developing solutions that extend the Internet of Things (IoT) into non-terrestrial networks (NTN), enabling reliable and scalable IoT applications even in remote and underserved regions.

At the 2025 SmallSat Symposium, Jesper will offer valuable insights into these technologies, delving into how NB-IoT NTN is transforming IoT ecosystems and how 5G NR NTN enables robust, high-performance communication links for applications such as autonomous vehicles, smart agriculture, and global supply chains. His leadership in integrating satellite technologies with terrestrial networks positions him as a key voice in addressing the challenges and opportunities of an interconnected world.

Beyond his commercial acumen, Jesper is a passionate advocate for fostering collaboration within the space tech ecosystem. His forward-thinking approach reflects GateHouse Satcom’s commitment to innovation and excellence. Attendees can expect a blend of technical depth and strategic vision that sheds light on the future of satellite-enabled connectivity.

Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) is the world’s leading small satellite company, delivering operational space missions for Earth observation, science, communications and exploration. Headquartered in Guildford, UK, SSTL is part of the Airbus Group.

Clive Oates leads SSTL’s business across the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. In January 2023, he assumed the role of General Manager for SSTL Australia and New Zealand, spearheading the establishment of the company’s Adelaide office.

Since joining SSTL in 2018, Clive has held key leadership positions including Head of Region Americas and Head of Region Five Eyes Nations. Prior to his tenure at SSTL, he spent over two decades at Ericsson, where he held executive roles in software engineering, customer solutions, and business development across Canada, South Africa, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

Clive began his career at the NATO Communications and Information Agency in the Netherlands.

Michael T. Pace is the Senior Vice President of Advanced RF Systems at BlueHalo, overseeing all ground-based space communication systems for the company. He leads the development of next-generation digital beamformed phased arrays, delivering cutting-edge solutions in telemetry, electronic warfare, and communication systems to enhance U.S. defense capabilities.

With several patents, Michael exemplifies a commitment to innovation and solving complex challenges. His patented technologies span phased arrays, software-defined radios, and electronic warfare systems, advancing multi-mission capabilities and expanding industry applications.

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.

Akshay Patel is a Managing Director in the Strategic Advisory Group at PJT Partners, based in New York.
Akshay Patel has over 16 years of experience in the aerospace and satellite industry across finance, business development and engineering. Through his years of experience as an advisor, start up operator and engineer, Akshay has built relationships across the landscape of traditional aerospace and new space companies.
Prior to joining PJT, Akshay was Vice President of Corporate Development at OneWeb where he led all M&A, partnership, and new business efforts. Prior to Oneweb, he was the Vice President of Business Development and Strategy at Planetary Resources where he led the company’s strategic planning, sales and partnerships activities.
Akshay also spent 5 years in investment banking at Morgan Stanley based in New York. As part of the Media Comms group, Akshay focused on advising companies across the satellite industry value chain including the advising on sale of Skybox Imaging to Google, the merger of DigitalGlobe and GeoEye, and the IPO of Intelsat.
Prior to Morgan Stanley, Akshay was an aerospace engineer at Lockheed Martin where he designed and built telecommunication and remote sensing satellites. In addition, he published one of the first small satellite market studies in the industry
Akshay has a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Science and Master of Engineering in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from Cornell University

Tushar is the co-founder and COO of Orbital Sidekick with over a decade of experience in aerospace and energy sectors. At OSK, he oversees product development, analytics, payload operations, software development, and is integral to the company’s corporate strategy and fundraising efforts. Tushar spent five years at Space Systems/Loral, part of the propulsion/systems engineering group building spacecraft subsystems and designing and testing launch operations. Prior to SSL, he was in the CCS and renewable energy space. Tushar’s expertise is in product development, data processing, fluid dynamics, spacecraft design, chemical and electrical propulsion. He holds BS/MS degrees in Aerospace Engineering from Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA and currently resides with his wife, Malika and two children in San Francisco.

Corey is Partner in Moss Adams’ Aerospace & Defense industry group and leads the firm’s Space practice. Corey is a licensed CPA and has practiced public accounting since 2009. He specializes in assurance and business advisory services and supports a wide range of companies ranging from start-ups to publicly traded companies within the Commercial Aerospace, Defense, and Space industries. Corey leverages his knowledge and expertise in the industry to provide client centric services and insights to help companies achieve their business objectives and strategic goals.

Moss Adams is an accounting and advisory firm that provides space and satellite companies with a full range of services including assurance and tax, transaction advisory services, tax credit and incentives, government contracting auditing and consulting, IT compliance, technical accounting assistance, and more! Moss Adams has over 4,000 professionals, operates out of 30 locations in the U.S., and serves more than 400 Commercial Aerospace, Defense, and Space clients across all service lines.

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.

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.

Steve Richeson joined Mission Microwave in 2017 and is responsible for the company’s global sales and marketing. He has over 30 years of Satellite and Radio Frequency (RF) experience in engineering and executive roles across the wireless and satellite communications industry including positions at Harris Corporation, EchoStar, Scientific-Atlanta, GTE Spacenet International, Radiation Systems SATCOM Technologies, and Schlumberger. As a Schlumberger Field Engineer Steve launched the LOGNET service in the Gulf of Mexico with a portable VSAT terminal on a semi-submersible drilling platform – in 1986. This was the first commercial mobile VSAT system. Steve is a Senior Member of the IEEE and a Registered Professional Engineer. He earned his engineering degree at Georgia Tech and an MBA at Georgia State University.

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.

Raphael Roettgen is the founder of E2MC Ventures, a space-focused early-stage venture capital firm with over 25 space investments to date. He is also the co-founder of Prometheus Life Technologies, a space biotech startup focused on organoids.

He lectures on space entrepreneurship and finance at several universities including the International Space University (ISU) and the Swiss Institute of Technology at Lausanne (EPFL), hosts the popular Space Business Podcast, and is the author of “To Infinity”, an introductory book on the space economy.

Previously, Mr. Roettgen held senior roles at global investment banks and hedge funds and was also a fintech entrepreneur in Brazil.

He holds degrees in finance from Wharton, machine learning from PUC-Rio and space studies from the International Space University, where he also serves as a governing member.

Ankit Rohatgi is currently working as Director of Business Development at Swedish Space Corporation, focussing on Ground Station as a Service solution. Prior to working on GSaaS, he has worked in different aspects of satellite comminications such as in-flight connectivity, cellular backhaul, maritime, community wi-fi and humanitarian aid, at companies such as Panasonic Avionics, Facebook and Ericsson. He has traveled to over 60 countries. He has an MSEE and an MBA from University of Texas.

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.

Alvaro Sanchez is Integrasys CEO, Marquess of Antella (Noble Title 1649), Alvaro is Software and Industrial engineer by European University and a master’s degree in business by ESIC Business School. On 2022 he was considered one of the “20 under 35” young space and satellite professionals by the SSPI.

Alvaro during the last 10 years has worked at Integrasys as Management, Sales Executive roles where he was very successful growing the sales, revenue, profit, and responsibilities within the company; and previous to that he was working at CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research as an RF Engineer, measuring timing in a Nanosecond Synchronization for measuring the Neutrino Speed. Adding to his professional repertoire, in 2021 Alvaro collaborated with IE University to achieve his lifelong goal of helping others. He was professor of “Introduction to Business Management” at the Artificial Intelligence Degree. Recently he is focused on the company expansion, with the latest opening, INTEGRASYS Ukraine.

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·Government Services 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.

Nina has more than 15 years’ experience in the satellite industry holding different roles in the company and is currently heading the Communications Team at KSAT.

Due to her in-depth knowledge of the industry as well as the end-user segments, she often represents the company at leading satellite and space industry events around the world as well as engaging with governments and stakeholders of all types. Moreover, because she has worked extensively on both the Ground Station and Earth Observation sides of the business, she has important insights into both.

Nina is former Chairman of NOSCA Clean Oceans, an innovation cluster dedicated to promoting oil spill control technology globally for preparedness and response, as well as transferring technology and knowledge to battle unwanted effects from algae and ocean plastic.

KSAT provides environmental protection- and vessel detection services globally and has pioneered the industry with pushing the timelines for Near Real-Time (NRT) delivery of actionable information- leveraging their global ground network, especially the unique Svalbard station. For many years her focus was on developing markets for KSAT´s Maritime Monitoring services based on SAR data (Synthetic Aperture Radar).

Nina played a key role in taking services to market and worked with several of the large international oil companies (IOC´s), authorities, coastguards and other stakeholders leading the sales efforts in Latin America, South America and the Middle East markets.

Her portfolio also included the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), an Agency providing technical assistance and support to the European Commission and Member States on maritime safety, pollution by ships and European maritime security.

Tim Solms is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Slingshot Aerospace, a leader in satellite tracking, space traffic coordination, and space modeling and simulation. The company’s mission-critical space data and insights help satellite operators, space agencies, and defense agencies improve spaceflight safety and optimize their orbital operations.

In the role of CEO, Tim oversees the company’s overall strategy and operations, ensuring that Slingshot continues to deliver world-class data and insights while bringing new and innovative capabilities to market that serve the ever-evolving missions of Slingshot’s customers.

Solms is an 18-year United States Army veteran who also brings more than 20 years of executive leadership experience with a focus on optimizing businesses for growth and profitability. Solms has led the transformational growth of the defense and government divisions of multiple global corporations, including serving as General Manager at Microsoft overseeing the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) business, managing all DoD and NATO business for VMware Federal, and heading Dun & Bradstreet’s Public Sector business.

Most recently Solms was at Dun & Bradstreet, the leading global provider of business decisioning data and analytics, where he served as Executive Vice President and General Manager overseeing all U.S. federal, state, and local government, and Canadian government business.

Tim graduated from The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina. He and his wife Lynne have five daughters. Tim enjoys sailing and flying and is a volunteer pilot for Angel Flight and Veterans Airlift Command – an organization that flies wounded soldiers to and from home and other activities.

S. Sita Sonty (Sita) is a Partner and Managing Director in the AlixPartners AD&A Americas group. She served as a career Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. State Department, CEO of a space company, Partner at BCG, and Executive at SpaceX and Raytheon.

Prior to AlixPartners, Sita served as the CEO of Space Tango. Before that, she was the global lead for Commercial Space at BCG, where she was also a BCG Federal Core member. Earlier in her career, Sita has also held roles in Sierra Nevada Corporation, SpaceX, Raytheon, and served in senior roles at the Department of State.

She graduated with distinction from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies; studied at Jussieu in Paris (1998) and the Centre des Etudes Maghrebines en Tunisie (CEMAT) (2001); and graduated magna cum laude from Amherst College in Political Science and Economics.

Her native tongue is Telugu; she also speaks Hindi, French, Arabic, Croatian, and Urdu.  Sita serves as Executive Board Member for Women in Aerospace, The Johns Hopkins University President’s Alumni Council, and the Washington Leadership Program.

Robert W. Sproles is CEO at Exolaunch, a global leader in launch services and deployment solutions for small satellites. Originally joining the company as CTO, Sproles has brought deep technical insight and scaling experience to the company and played a critical role in transforming Exolaunch’s operational foundation.

Through his leadership, Exolaunch has implemented streamlined processes to support significant market growth and facilitate international expansion. To date, the company has successfully launched over 430 satellites across a global variety of launch vehicles, earning a reputation for its industry-leading separation systems, adaptable dispenser structures, and expert mission management. Serving satellite customers in more than 40 countries, Exolaunch delivers tailored solutions that provide unprecedented access to space and reliably meet the complex demands of today’s mission requirements.

With over 20 years of industry experience, Sproles’s know-how spans developing global ground station networks, leading satellite build teams, and overseeing constellation operations at scale. Prior to entering the space sector, Sproles spent a decade in large-scale emergency response, where he developed a UAV program for chemical disaster assessment and pioneered remote field data collection using mobile devices.

Sproles holds a Ph.D. in applied physics from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock with a specialization in rocket engine health and performance.

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.

As President of The Satellite Industry Association (SIA), Tom is the trade association’s lead advocate for regulatory and policy issues of critical importance to SIA’s membership, including spectrum and licensing issues, defense and public safety matters, and export control and international trade issues. He also manages the day-to-day operations of SIA, including member communications, staff leadership and organization of SIA sponsored events. Tom became the president of SIA in December of 2014.

Prior to joining SIA, Tom was with Shared Spectrum Company (SSC), a leading developer of spectrum intelligence technologies, where he served as CEO. For more than a decade, he served as the President of the Personal Communications Industry Association (PCIA).

Tom holds a BS, summa cum laude, in Public Administration from the University of North Dakota. He is also a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center where he served as Editor of the Georgetown Law Journal.

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.

Chris Thein is the Co-Founder and CEO of EOI Space, a Colorado-based startup developing the first AI-enabled constellation. By operating in VLEO and leveraging on-board computing technology, EOI Space will deliver decision-ready data within minutes from collection, expediting time-to-action for commercial and government customers for tactical use during emergency response, asset monitoring, situational awareness, site monitoring, and more. Christopher is an entrepreneur who has helped found successful engineering, robotics, and electric propulsion companies, and is driven by a future where Earth Intelligence plays a critical role in fostering a safer, healthier, and more resilient world.

Abhi Tripathi has been working in Human and Robotic Space flight for over 20 years. He is presently the Director of Mission Operations at the UC Berkeley Space Sciences Lab (SSL). The lab currently operates 2 NASA missions and has 5 more it is actively building and testing in preparation for launch. This includes the twin spacecraft ESCAPADE mission to Mars. Abhi is also an advisor to several exciting aerospace startups, both through his involvement as the Air and Space Track co-chair at the Berkeley Skydeck Accelerator, and on his own.

Prior to his role at SSL, Abhi spent 10 years working at SpaceX, starting a month before the first launch of the F9. He led certification (by NASA) of the Cargo and Crew Dragon programs at SpaceX. These vehicles were certified faster than any visiting vehicles, before or since. He served as the Dragon Mission Director from mission control on a dozen cargo re-supply missions to the International Space Station. He also served as a Dragon Chief Engineer for Flight Reliability on the Crew Demo 1 and Demo 2 missions. Before SpaceX, Abhi spent 10 years as an Aerospace Systems engineer at NASA Johnson Space Center. There he worked on NASA’s long term planning and design work for Moon and Mars campaigns.

Abhi has degrees in aerospace engineering from the University of Michigan and University of Colorado. He holds a Ph.D. in Geology/Micropaleontology from UCLA.

Dr. Jordan Vannitsen is the CEO and co-founder of Odysseus Space, a leading company in space-to-ground laser communication for Earth observation constellations. With its Cyclops™ Laser Communication as a Service (LCaaS™) solution, Odysseus is simplifying access to high-speed connectivity for small satellite operators.

With over 15 years in the space sector, Dr. Vannitsen has turned innovative ideas into operational missions, including his work on 11 satellites which were successfully launched and operated in space. A recipient of ESA’s Teamwork Excellence Award, he contributed to the historic launch of 7 small satellites on Vega’s maiden flight.

Holding a PhD from National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan, Dr. Vannitsen now leads Odysseus Space in advancing fast and secure communication across space and Earth.

Marco Villa has 25+ years of exceptional performance as system engineer, manager, director and executive. He established SpaceX’s mission operations team and enabled Dragon’s missions to the International Space Station. While at Tyvak and Terran Orbital, Marco covered multiple executive roles fostering the company’s growth in the US and European markets. Marco has firsthand knowledge of the transition of space activities to the private sector, and is a skilled developer of medium and long-term vision for aerospace organizations, with direct involvement toward tactical objectives and strategy definitions. An investor himself, he is known for his entrepreneurial attitude and understanding on how to generate value through appropriate evolution of an organization’s leadership, services and partnerships through its life cycle.

Brian Weimer is a partner in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office and Leader of the firm’s Telecom Team and Co-Leader of the CFIUS Team. Mr. Weimer provides regulatory and transactional advice across the entire telecommunications ecosystem. He is perhaps best known as a leading lawyer for the satellite industry, and he leads the firm’s Space & Satellite practice as well.

Brian’s experience includes:

• Obtains market access and FCC licenses for space station operators, both GEO and Non-GEO.

• Advises companies on obtaining cable landing licenses and the regulatory issues presented by undersea cable companies.

• Advises satellite and wireless companies on regulatory proceedings impacting the value, uses, availability, and sharing of spectrum resources.

• Lobbies the FCC at the highest levels to achieve optimal outcomes for clients on their most important regulatory proceedings.

• Assists telecom companies navigate the myriad regulatory approvals necessary to consummate M&A deals, including Team Telecom and CFIUS.

• Secures special temporary authority and experimental licenses for telecom companies of all kinds.

• Prepares petitions for declaratory ruling to exceed foreign ownership benchmarks under the Communications Act.

• Obtain earth station licenses for satellite networks.

• Advises on regulatory aspects of business plans to assist fundraising efforts by start-up companies.

• Analyzes feasibility of foreign investment in telecom (and other) companies in light of strictures imposed by the Communications Act, Team Telecom, and CFIUS.

• Prepares applications for 214 authorization at the FCC and similar initiatives at the State level.

• Advises foreign companies on the need for and structuring of proxy companies in the U.S. to assist in obtaining specialized U.S. government contracts.

• Serves as a trusted advisor to founders and entrepreneurs in their most important strategic decisions as they relate to FCC, ITU, and market access actions around the world.

• Negotiates and drafts commercial contracts and M&A agreements for telecom companies.

• Advises companies through regulatory enforcement proceedings at the FCC and other federal agencies.

• Counsels telecom companies through restructuring efforts, including Chapter 11.

• Advises media and other telecom companies with all manner of regulatory requirements for their businesses.

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.

Dr. Xiaoming Yin is a Senior Investment Manager at Lockheed Martin Ventures. Her primary investment focus at Lockheed is in Space Technologies, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, Next Generation Computing, Quantum Technologies, Data Analytics, and Advanced Materials.

Prior to joining Lockheed Martin Ventures, Xiaoming was a Fintech Associate at Pivotus Ventures. At Pivotus, she developed the investment thesis and worked on product development for a next-generation digital bank. Before joining Pivotus, Xiaoming worked five years as a Quantitative Researcher in Citigroup Option Market Making trading division.

Xiaoming received M.S and Ph.D in Electrical Engineering from Northwestern University, where her work was published and presented in several international journals, as well as conferences. Xiaoming also received B.A in Economics and B.S in Electrical Engineering from Rice University.