Blair DeWitt is the cofounder and CEO of Lunar Station. Blair’s career is anchored on building great teams that tackle emerging market challenges by creatively developing advanced technologies for the betterment of the communities he serves. Blair has worked at NASA, IBM, TIBCO, EMC, Psion, and many other organizations holding various roles and responsibilities throughout his industrious career. Volunteerism is the second core tenant of his personality and has given his energies to helping others in many different groups and organizations over the years.

Blair completed his under-graduate degree from St. Thomas Aquinas College and recently earned an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management.

Christine Joseph serves as a Policy Advisor at the Office of Space Commerce with NOAA and the Department of Commerce, currently supporting the Traffic Coordination System for Space (TraCSS) program. Prior to her current role, Christine Joseph served with the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology – Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics. Her professional interests include space policy, aerospace human factors, and human-autonomy interaction. She previously worked in the aerospace industry as a human systems engineer with Aurora Flight Sciences. Christine has a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame and Master’s degrees in aeronautics & astronautics and technology policy from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 

Devon Papandrew leads new business efforts at Stoke Space, a startup building 100% reusable medium-lift rockets designed to fly daily. In addition to commercial and government business development, Devon is responsible for helping shape strategy, as well as delivering competitive intelligence and market insights. Previously VP of Business Operations at Spaceflight Inc., Devon developed a series of innovative tools that connected business development, mission management and the engineering teams in a manner that enabled Spaceflight to build, sell, and execute complicated rideshare missions. He holds a BS in Physics and Economics from Georgetown University where he played four years of Division I football.

Eric Ingram is a commercial spaceflight regulatory expert with a tremendous reach in the space industry and is an active and recognizable figure in space exploration and disability advocacy sectors. Currently, Eric is the Chairman and Chief Strategy Officer at Scout Space Inc., a leading in-space observation service provider focused on space security and comprehensive Space Domain Awareness (SDA). He is also a Board Member at the Space Frontier Foundation, an Organizing Team Member & Ambassador for Mission: AstroAccess, and serves on the Advisory Committee on Commercial Remote Sensing (ACCRES). Previously, he served as an Aerospace Engineer at the FAA Office for Commercial Space Transportation. Eric holds a Bachelor of Science in Physics from Old Dominion University, most of a Masters of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Houston, and a sport pilot certificate.

Evelyn Ruff is a Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) Engineer at True Anomaly, a deep technology company creating software and hardware to define the next generation of space security. True Anomaly has contracts from U.S. government to provide a full suite of space domain awareness tools through their Mosaic operating system. The company are launching its first two satellites in March 2024 to perform on-orbit test and training, reconnaissance, and rendezvous and proximity operations in LEO. Evelyn will be the GNC lead for several upcoming hardware projects at True Anomaly this year as they continue to implement state-of-the-art technology in novel payloads.

Prior to True Anomaly, Evelyn graduated from MIT with a MS in System Design & Management, a joint degree between the Sloan School of Management and the College of Engineering. At MIT, Evelyn conducted research on applying machine learning to trajectory planning in the Aerospace Controls Laboratory in collaboration with the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory. Her research focused on integrating neural networks into simulation-based methods to optimize trajectories for hypersonic vehicles. Evelyn was President of the Space Industry Club and helped organize the New Space Age Conference in 2022 and 2023. Before MIT, Evelyn worked at Draper Laboratory as an Electromechanical Engineer, specializing in system design and data analysis of precision instrumentation. Evelyn has an MS in Mechatronics and BS in Mechanical Engineering from Northeastern University.

Geraldine Naja is Director of Commercialisation, Industry and Competitiveness at the European Space Agency (ESA). A French national, Geraldine holds over 30 years of experience, expertise and knowledge within the European space sector, in programmatic, managerial and strategy development positions.

She is responsible for elaborating and implementing ESA’s industrial and procurement policies, conducting negotiations with industry, and managing procurement for all the Agency’s activities and programmes. Furthermore, Geraldine is responsible for enabling and boosting European space commercialisation and business development ambitions through innovative programmes, tools and partnerships.

Geraldine holds an MSc in Engineering and Propulsion and an MSc in Political Sciences, from the French École Polytechnique and the École Nationale Supérieure de Techniques Avancées (ENSTA), and the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris (Sciences Po) respectively.

Within various universities and institutes, Geraldine carries out teaching assignments about space policy, with the aim of inspiring future generations.

Dr. Hans Koenigsmann joined the SpaceX team as the 4th technical member in 2002 and developed the avionics, guidance and control, and software departments as Vice President of Avionics. He designed the avionics system of Falcon 1 and supported the early launches as Launch Chief Engineer. He moved into this operational role for Falcon 9 and Dragon, and became the Vice President of Flight Reliability (formerly mission assurance). Being responsible for flight risk and safety, he and his team also resolved critical anomalies. With the addition of building reliability he was also responsible for production quality.

He and his team supported more than 100 launches with thorough pre-flight reviews and post-flight data reviews. Feeding back the lessons learned, preventing mission failures and improving both production and operation is his top priority. Hans retired from SpaceX in late 2021 after more than 19 years.

He holds a Masters from the Technical University of Berlin and a PhD from the University of Bremen in Germany. He currently serves on the supervisory board of OHB and advises Stoke Space, Vast Space and Varda.

Jim Bridenstine has had a distinguished career serving the United States, from being a Navy pilot to a U.S. Congressman, and then as the NASA Administrator. He is currently involved as an advisor, independent consultant, speaker, and media contributor. As the 13th Administrator of NASA, Bridenstine managed the agency's substantial workforce and budget, leading initiatives in aeronautics, science, and space exploration. He spearheaded the Artemis program, aiming to return humans to the Moon and prepare for missions to Mars, developing the Orion crew capsule and the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. Bridenstine also focused on commercial partnerships, leading America's return to human spaceflight in 2020 and establishing the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) Program.

During his tenure, Bridenstine emphasized aeronautic development with projects like the X-59 quiet supersonic aircraft and the X-57 all-electric airplane. He supported the development of the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Traffic Management for drone usage. Under his leadership, NASA achieved significant milestones, including Mars landings and the launch of the Parker Solar Probe. Bridenstine's background includes serving in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he was instrumental in space development initiatives and the creation of the Space Force. His career began as a U.S. Navy pilot, flying combat missions and earning commendations. Bridenstine is a triple major graduate from Rice University and holds an MBA from Cornell University. He is an Eagle Scout and resides in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with his wife, Michelle, and their three children.

Jeff Plate is an economic expert on resourced focused development, capital markets, audit and control.  He regularly engages in activities related to the financing of mineral resource focused projects including their evaluation and due diligence reviews, as a Partner at Watts, Griffis and McOuat Ltd. (“WGM”).  Recently, Jeff has been leading WGM’s Space Mining and ISRU practice, advising National governments, space agencies, private companies and academia. Jeff holds advanced degrees; in Geophysics from the University of Waterloo, Finance and Economics from Brock and McMaster Universities, along with the globally recognized Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.  He is registered with the Association of Professional Geoscientists of Ontario (APGO) as a P.Geo and currently Chairs the Professional Development Committee for the Management and Economics Society (MES), an arm of the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM).  Finally, he is a founding contributor to the Lunar Surface Innovation Consortium (LSIC) which advises US Government and NASA.

Jordan Charles is the Vice President and General Manager of the New Glenn Stage 1 reusable booster program at Blue Origin where he leads the team responsible for the design, development, manufacturing, and certification of one of the world’s largest reusable rocket stages. Prior to this role, Jordan served in various leadership positions at Blue Origin, Boeing, and Lockheed Martin spanning engineering, supply chain, and program management.

Jordan is an engineer and inventor at heart. He has authored a number of international peer-reviewed journal publications and patented a number of aerospace design and manufacturing concepts that have subsequently served as key product architecture enablers.

Jordan holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Duke University, an MS in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and an MBA from MIT’s Sloan School of Management. Jordan also serves on the Board of FIRST WA Robotics and has a strong passion for improving DEI in STEM with a goal of making STEM careers more accessible to diverse and underserved communities.

JR Francis is the Director of Business Development and Sales at Relativity, the first autonomous factory and launch service for rockets. As Director of Business Development and Sales, JR Francis is responsible for leading all commercial sales and strategic partnerships for Relativity. Prior to joining Relativity, JR served as the Business Development Director at Virgin Orbit where he led commercial and civil sales for the LauncherOne platform. JR has also worked for Thuraya Telecommunications Company, where he led all sales and marketing strategies for the North American region, as well as SES where he held a variety of engineering and commercial positions.

JR holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Maryland and a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Massachusetts.

Karen L. Jones is a space economist and technology strategist at The Aerospace Corporation’s Center for Space Policy and Strategy. In this role, she analyzes space market trends and technologies that impact government missions and commercial space activities. She has published numerous papers addressing topics such as game-changing technologies, investing in innovation, public private partnerships, blockchain, undersea cables, and wireless technologies. She has also studied space-based remote sensing strategies to address climate change, environmental accountability, methane emissions, space-based solar power, and infrastructure and geopolitical strategies in the Arctic region. Jones earned a bachelor’s degree in geology from Louisiana State University and a master’s degree in business administration from Yale University.

Mandy Vaughn is one of the most innovative and influential leaders in the US space industry. She founded GXO in 2021 to drive innovation, unlock new opportunities, and address emerging threats in space. Prior to founding GXO, at Virgin Orbit, Mandy worked on the LauncherOne program for government and commercial customers—including NASA, USSF and OneWeb. She served as president and CEO of VOX Space (a Virgin Orbit subsidiary) with a specific focus on the national security launch market. 

Additionally, Mandy has worked within General Dynamics Mission Systems, the Air Force as an active-duty officer, and Kinsey Technical Services to advance next-generation innovations in GPS, satellite communications, defense, and security. 

At GXO, Mandy leads the company in supporting new commercial space ventures quickly navigate the start-up environment to start delivering capabilities and missions that matter for commercial and government customers. 

Mandy holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering and an MS in Aeronautics and Astronautics, both from MIT. 

Dr. Mark Skinner is internationally recognized as a researcher in space object characterization and commercial space situational awareness. He is currently leading The Aerospace Corporation’s effort to support the transition of space traffic management (STM) from the Defense realm to the Civil. For almost two decades he supported research efforts at the AMOS facility on Maui, Hawaii, and now supports STM in Washington, DC. For eight years, he supported the US delegation to the UN COPUOS Working Group on the Long Term Sustainable use of outer space in the development of guidelines and best practices, as an expert on space debris and SSA. Skinner holds a BS degree in Physics and a BS in the Humanities and Science

from MIT; a PhD in experimental astrophysics from UW-Madison; and an MBA from ISU.

Matt Weinzierl is the Joseph and Jacqueline Elbling Professor of Business Administration in the Business, Government, and the International Economy Unit at Harvard Business School and a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research.  His research focuses on the optimal design of economic policy, in particular taxation, with an emphasis on better understanding the philosophical principles underlying policy choices. Recently, he has launched a set of research projects focused on the commercialization of the space sector and its economic implications, viewable at www.economicsofspace.com. He has served on the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Tax Expenditure Commission, the board of the National Tax Association, and on the editorial boards of Social Choice and Welfare and National Tax Journal. Prior to completing his PhD in economics at Harvard University in 2008, Professor Weinzierl served as the Staff Economist for Macroeconomics on the President’s Council of Economic Advisers and worked in the New York office of McKinsey & Company. 

Meagan Roth is the Senior Director of Launch, Integration, and Test at Firefly Aerospace where she oversees all launch vehicle assembly, integration, test, and launch functions at Firefly’s rocket manufacturing and test site in Briggs, Texas and launch site SLC-2 at Vandenberg Space Force Base. Meagan has also served as the Launch Conductor or Launch Director for all of Firefly’s Alpha Launches. Prior to joining Firefly, Meagan was the Manager of Propulsion Integration and Test at SpaceX and worked in the oil and gas and automotive industries. Meagan holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in addition to a master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Texas A&M University.

Mike Lindsay joined Astroscale as group CTO in January 2020 and is responsible for driving the company’s overall technical strategy and shaping future services and mission architectures.

He has 15 years’ experience in both commercial and government space industries. Prior to joining Astroscale, Mike was Director, Spectrum Architecture at OneWeb, where he oversaw mission design, systems engineering and spacecraft performance, while also managing regulatory compliance and spectrum efficiency. Prior to OneWeb, Mike held mission design and systems engineering roles in Silicon Valley at both NASA and Google.

The driving force in Mike’s career path has been the pursuit of sustainable development and exploration of space. At OneWeb, this motivated him to champion the inclusion of deorbit technologies on their entire fleet of satellites, and then inspired him to follow through by taking on a leadership role at Astroscale.

Mike holds a Master’s degree in Space Engineering and a Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Michigan.

Dr. Minoo Rathnasabapathy is a Research Engineer at the MIT Media Lab, and Fellow at the World Economic Forum. Her work is centred at the intersection of space technology, policy, and action-driven partnerships to tackle pressing socio-economic and environmental challenges. Dr. Rathnasabapathy’s focus and research interests include space sustainability and governance, climate, and broader cross-industry collaborations. Her work has featured on CNN Business, BBC World News, and ABC News Australia. 

Prior to joining MIT, Dr. Rathnasabapathy served as the Executive Director of the Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC), a global non-governmental organisation which acts in support of the United Nations Programme on Space Applications. Dr. Rathnasabapathy was responsible for leading the operations, business development, strategy, and policy output for SGAC, a network that represents over 15,000 individual members across 150 countries.

Dr. Rathnasabapathy earned her PhD in Aerospace Engineering from RMIT University, researching the impact dynamics of novel materials used in aerospace structures. Minoo serves as a member of the World Economic Forum Global Future Council on Space. From 2018-2021, she served as Vice President of the International Astronautical Federation.

Raquel Buscaino leads Deloitte’s US Novel & Exponential Technologies (NExT) team where she and her team sense, and make sense of, emerging technologies that are likely to change the way we work and live.

From brain-computer interfaces and synthetic biology to space exploration and quantum computing, Raquel and her team aim to distill signal from noise, value from hype, and profitable actions from ambiguous concepts. The NExT team uses this research to create world-class thought leadership, such as Deloitte Tech Trends and xTech Futures publications.

Prior to her leadership on Deloitte’s NExT team, Raquel worked in Deloitte’s blockchain & digital assets practice where she specialized in blockchain consortium creation and management and led global blockchain workshops for Deloitte and its clients. Raquel is also the host of the Deloitte TECHTalks podcast where she interviews industry leaders about what’s new and next in tech.

In her free time, she enjoys playing beach volleyball, searching for the best scuba diving spots, and travelling with friends and family.

Sita Sonty is the Chief Executive Officer of Space Tango. Sita manages the implementation of the corporate mission and vision.

Prior to joining Space Tango, Sonty led the space industry practice for the Boston Consulting Group, a global management consulting firm.  She also made history as the Head of Human Spaceflight Sales at SpaceX, where she executed the first private spaceflight sale on the Crew Dragon on a Lower Earth Orbit Free Flyer and to the International Space Station while guiding global market strategy for Starlink’s expansion. Prior to SpaceX, Sita was Vice President for International Business with the Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) teeing up the spinout of Sierra Space, as well as Director for National Security and International Business Development at Raytheon. 

Before joining the space industry, Sita amassed over seventeen years of service as a career U.S. diplomat. Sita led the International Security Advisory Board bringing A&D companies’ strategic recommendations to Secretary Kerry; she also served as Chief of Staff for Legislative Affairs and Senior Advisor for Defense Sales to South and Central Asia.  Her overseas posts include Croatia, Libya, Syria, the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq (2004), and Egypt.

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

In his reserve capacity, Butow is a Major 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. 

Wiener Kernisan is President of Arianespace, Inc., with responsibility for guiding Arianespace’s customer, industry and governmental relations at the company’s U.S. affiliate. He also is directly engaged with sales activities across the significant U.S. and Canadian launch services markets. 

He joined Arianespace, Inc. as its Vice President, Sales and Marketing, in 2000 and was promoted to his current role of President in 2016. During his tenure, Arianespace launched the James Webb Space Telescope on an Ariane 5. The launch was perfect and doubled the life of the Webb telescope. Last February, in recognition of his exceptional achievements and contributions to the French space sector throughout his career, Kernisan was awarded the French National Order of Merit by the French Ambassador to the United States. 

Before coming to Arianespace, Kernisan worked at SES in Luxembourg, and at Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems, the former Astro Space division of General Electric (previously RCA Astro Electronics) in Princeton, New Jersey. He holds a Master of Science in mechanical engineering from McGill University in Montreal, Canada and a Bachelor of Applied Sciences and an Engineering Diploma from Ecole Polytechnique, Universite de Montreal, in Canada.

Zack Cordero is the Edgerton Career Development Assistant Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics at MIT where he leads the Aerospace Materials and Structures Laboratory. He received an SB in physics and a PhD in materials science and engineering from MIT. Prior to joining the MIT faculty, Zack held appointments as a postdoctoral fellow in the Manufacturing Demonstration Facility of Oak Ridge National Laboratory and as an assistant professor in the Materials Science and NanoEngineering department at Rice University. Zack’s research at MIT integrates materials processing, mechanics of materials, and structural design to develop new materials and structures for launch vehicles and spacecraft. In addition to his research, he is passionate about hands-on education for engineering students and has developed courses that integrate machine design, materials selection, and manufacturing to train the next generation of aerospace engineers.