Keynote
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Dr. Nicola Nicky Fox
Associate Administrator (AA), NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD)
NASA Headquarters
As the Associate Administrator (AA) for the Science Mission Directorate, Dr. Nicola Fox directs ~100 NASA missions to explore the secrets of the universe–missions that use the view from space to assess questions as practical as hurricane formation, as enticing as the prospect of lunar resources, as amazing as behavior in weightlessness, and as profound as the origin of the universe. As the AA, Dr. Fox creates a balanced portfolio of carefully chosen missions and research goals to enable a deep scientific understanding of Earth, other planets, the Sun, and the universe. These efforts lay the intellectual foundation for the robotic and human expeditions of the future, while meeting today’s needs for scientific information to address national concerns.
Dr. Fox joined NASA in 2018 as SMD’s Director of the Heliophysics Division, where she led a world-class team in understanding Earth’s most important and life-sustaining star. She oversaw NASA’s work to study key space phenomena and improve situational awareness of the very space our astronauts, satellites, and robotic missions travel through as they explore the solar system and beyond. Her portfolio also included NASA’s robust space weather research to help the U.S. government better predict space weather, which can interfere with radio communications, affect GPS accuracy, and even–when extreme–affect electrical grids on the ground.
Dr. Fox has authored numerous scientific articles and papers, in addition to delivering science presentations worldwide. She is known for her keen ability to make science accessible to a broad range of audiences, as well as her stellar leadership, creating a sense of purpose and belonging in her teams. In 2021 she was awarded the American Astronautical Society’s Carl Sagan Memorial Award for her demonstrated leadership in the field of heliophysics. In 2020 she was awarded NASA’s Outstanding Leadership Medal. In 2024, she received an honorary Doctorate of Science from the University of Hertfordshire and an honorary fellowship of the Royal Astronomical Society.
Prior to August 2018, Dr. Fox worked at the Applied Physics Lab at the Johns Hopkins University, where she was the chief scientist for heliophysics, as well as the project scientist for NASA’s Parker Solar Probe–humanity’s first mission to a star. Dr. Fox’s extensive project, program, and supervisory experience included serving as the Deputy Project Scientist for the Van Allen Probes and the operations scientist for the International Solar Terrestrial Physics program.
Dr. Fox graduated from The Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine in London with a B.S. in Physics. She received an M.S. in Telematics and Satellite Communications from the University of Surrey. She then returned to Imperial College to complete a Ph.D. in Space and Atmospheric Physics.
Panels
Space for Sustainability
Dr. Maya Nasr
Scientist
EDF and Harvard University
Moderator
Maya is a scientist at EDF and Harvard University, where she leads in-orbit lunar calibrations and the team developing machine learning models for the MethaneSAT mission. She brings expertise in space operations, mission planning, systems engineering, technology strategy, and space law and policy. Her past work includes MOXIE for NASA’s Mars 2020 Perseverance rover mission, Cassini’s mission activity on Titan, and the OneWeb satellite network. She is a member of the IAF Space Economy and Earth Observation Committees, and contributes to international space law through the IISL Working Groups on the Future of the Moon Agreement and on Pluralistic Governance of Outer Space Law. Maya is the former co-lead of the SGAC Space Law & Policy Project Group and co-founder and project lead of HUMANS, an ISS and Moon payload for global space access. She holds BS, MS, and PhD degrees in Aerospace Engineering from MIT.
Andrew Zolli
Chief Impact Officer
Planet Labs
As Chief Impact Officer, Andrew oversees the sustainable development, humanitarian, ethics and human rights portfolio at Planet, a breakthrough geospatial imaging organization that has deployed the largest constellation of Earth-observing satellites in history. Together, these satellites image the entire surface of the Earth, every day, in high resolution. When analyzed with advanced AI techniques, this imagery has transformational value for addressing a host of global challenges, including monitoring peace and conflict, improving agriculture, delivering sustainable development, ensuring human rights, predicting food insecurity, assessing climate change, delivering disaster response, and improving conservation, among many others. Andrew is also the author of Resilience: Why Things Bounce Back, which has been published in more than a dozen countries worldwide
Minoo Rathnasabapathy
Research Engineer and Program Lead
MIT Media Lab
Dr. Minoo Rathnasabapathy is a Research Engineer and Program Lead at the MIT Media Lab. Her work is centred at the intersection of advanced technologies and policy to drive impactful solutions. Her research focuses on data-driven climate intelligence and the long-term sustainability of the space environment, applying the principle of circular design that integrates Earth’s stewardship with the safe and responsible use and exploration of space. Dr. Rathnasabapathy's 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, a global non-governmental organisation which acts in support of the United Nations Programme on Space Applications. She 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. She has served as a Fellow of the World Economic Forum’s Platform on Space Technologies, Member of the Global Future Council on Space, and as Vice President of the International Astronautical Federation from 2018-2021.
Karen L. Jones
Space Economist and Senior Policy Analyst
Aerospace Corporation’s Center for Space Policy and Strategy
Karen L. Jones is a senior space policy analyst and economist in the Center for Space Policy and Strategy at The Aerospace Corporation. In this role, she analyzes market trends and technologies that impact government space missions and commercial markets. She has published numerous papers addressing disruptive innovation, direct-to-device satellite connectivity, public-private partnerships, undersea cables, and space-based remote sensing strategies to address climate and environmental accountability.
Building a Sustainable Cislunar Economy and the Road to Mars
Olivier de Weck
Associate Department Head
Apollo Program Professor of Astronautics and Engineering Systems
Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Moderator
Olivier de Weck is the Apollo Program Professor of Astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he is the Associate Department Head of Aero Astro. His research is in Systems Engineering with a focus on how complex technological systems are designed and how they evolve over time. He is a Fellow of INCOSE and AIAA and serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets. His textbook “Technology Roadmapping and Development” received a most promising textbook of 2024 award.
Blair DeWitt
CEO and Founder
Lunar Station Corp
Blair is an entrepreneurial technologist with a passion for solving complex problems using cutting-edge technologies. With a career spanning over three decades, Blair has worked with various organizations and technologies, including hardware, software, networking, and infrastructure solutions. His journey began with mainframe operations at IBM, followed by roles as a software engineer at NASA and various positions in enterprise-level high-performance infrastructures. Blair is the CEO and Founder of Lunar Station Corp, a key player in the Lunar economy. The company specializes in providing advanced geospatial analytics, sensor data infrastructure, and radiation exposure analyses. He is also an Angel Investor at Open Energy Market and a Board of Directors Member at Crescent Innovations Inc., a Massachusetts Bio-Tech company. Blair has held leadership roles in multiple organizations, including MiDrive Solutions, Message Systems, EMC, StrongView, and TIBCO Software, Inc. Blair holds an MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management and a Bachelor of Science in MIS from St. Thomas Aquinas College. Throughout his career, Blair has been committed to helping others and leading teams with integrity and tenacity.
Connie Soper
Vice President of Manufacturing Operations, Lunar Permanence
Blue Origin
Connie joined Blue Origin in May 2024 as the Vice President of Manufacturing Operations for the New Glenn Program then transitioning to Lead the Lunar Permanence Manufacturing Operations team in December. Connie joined Blue after holding various leadership roles at Virgin Galactic including Vice President of the Rocket Motors and Propulsion Systems Business Unit. While at Virgin Galactic, Connie established high performing program management teams responsible and accountable for the Spaceship and the Mothership programs in the Space Flight Systems Business Unit. Prior to that, Connie lead the development and deployment of the Program Management office for the Commercial Aviation Unit at L3Harris and held ever expanding roles at Honeywell Aerospace. A graduate of Embry Riddle Aeronautical University (BS in Aerospace Engineering (1998), and a Master of Business Administration in Aviation (2015)). Connie Brings a wealth of operational experience and technical preparation to Blue Origin as the company targets landing on the moon with in 2025 and bringing humans back to the surface to the moon shortly thereafter with its MK1 and MK2 Lunar Landers respectively.
Grant Anderson
President and CEO, Co-Founder
Paragon Space Development Corporation
Mr. Anderson co-founded Paragon in 1993. Now President/CEO, he has held diverse positions at Paragon including Chief Engineer, VP of Engineering, Treasurer/Secretary, CFO, Sr. VP of Operations, Chief Operating Officer and Director of Manufacturing. He has led the systems and conceptual design of multiple human spacecraft and the design of the International Space Station Solar Arrays. He has been on multiple non-profit boards including schools, charity organizations and the Tucson Metro Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Anderson holds a Bachelor and Master of Science from Stanford University and is a registered Professional Engineer. He is married with 3 children.
Tim Mounsey
Director of Business Development
Lunar Outpost
Tim Mounsey is the Director of Business Development at Lunar Outpost, the industry leader in space robotics and lunar surface mobility. Tim oversees Go-to-Market strategies for Lunar Outpost’s commercial payload offerings. Collaborating across engineering and strategy teams, his department establishes mobility-as-a-service relationships with commercial space and technology companies that have a desire to deploy their offerings on the lunar surface. Before joining Lunar Outpost, Tim spent almost a decade in Private Equity where he was responsible for developing investment theses, sourcing investment opportunities, and executing portfolio M&A strategies.
Space Funding: The Role of Government vs the Private Sector
Erika Wagner
US Business Development Leader
The Exploration Company
Dr. Erika Wagner serves as the Lead for US Business Development at The Exploration Company, one of the fastest growing space companies globally, building reusable space capsules and lunar landers. Previously, Dr. Wagner spent more than a decade at Blue Origin, where she helped drive the company’s go-to-market strategies in suborbital research, commercial space stations, and lunar technologies. Earlier, she worked with the X PRIZE Foundation as Senior Director of Exploration Prize Development and founding Executive Director of the X PRIZE Lab@MIT. She also served at MIT as Science Director and Executive Director of the Mars Gravity Biosatellite Program.
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In the community, Dr. Wagner has worked with The National Academies since 2014, including her current seat on the Steering Committee for A Science Strategy for the Human Exploration of Mars. Her Board service currently focuses on STEM/STEAM engagement and innovation with The Museum of Flight and Aurelia Institute. She is an also involved with the International Women’s Forum and Brooke Owens Fellowship.​ Dr. Wagner’s interdisciplinary academic background includes studies in Biomedical and Aerospace Engineering from Vanderbilt University, MIT, International Space University, and the Harvard/MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology. Her research spanned both human and mammalian adaptation to microgravity, partial gravity, and centrifugation; as well as organizational innovation and prize theory. She has been named a Fellow of the American Society for Gravitational and Space Research (ASGSR) and the Explorers Club, and an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA).
Matthew C. Weinzierl
Senior Associate Dean, Chair, MBA Program
Harvard Business School​
Moderator
Matt Weinzierl is Senior Associate Dean and Chair of the MBA Program at Harvard Business School, where he is the Joseph and Jacqueline Elbling Professor of Business Administration in the Business, Government, and the International Economy Unit, 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. 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.
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Professor Weinzierl currently serves as Senior Associate Dean and Chair of the MBA Program. He previously served as Program Chair of the MBA Required Curriculum (RC), the first year curriculum of the HBS MBA. Prior to those positions, he was the coursehead for Business, Government, and the International Economy (BGIE), an RC course, and as Chair of MBA Community Standards and the Conduct Review Board at HBS. He has created and currently teaches two courses in the Elective Curriculum: The Role of Government in Market Economies (RoGME) and Space, Public and Commercial Economics (SPACE). For the former, he has written case studies on public education, national health insurance, welfare reform, immigration, and a variety of topics in taxation. For the latter, he has written case studies of Astroscale, Blue Origin, Made In Space, NASA, Planetary Resources, Space Angels, SpaceX, Spire, the U.S. Space Force, and other institutions.
Preston Dunlap
Founder and Managing Partner
Arkenstone Capital & Arkenstone Ventures
Preston Dunlap has over 20 years of executive leadership experience across technology, national security, and private investment. He is the founder of Arkenstone Ventures and Arkenstone Capital, serves on Boards and as Lead Preferred Director of Pixxel Space Technologies, and advises Fortune 100 companies, startups, private equity, venture capital firms, and RAND. He is also a Senior External Advisor at Bain & Company.​ He led the Department of Defense Nuclear Enterprise Review in collaboration with the Department of Energy and the National Nuclear Security Agency. Additionally, he spearheaded the Investment Committee strategy, analysis, and diligence for the Secretary of Defense, overseeing the allocation and deployment of over $750 billion annually across national security sectors, including infrastructure, services, space, cybersecurity, AI, communications, transportation, logistics, ships, aircraft, vehicles, and weapons.
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Mr. Dunlap initiated over $250 billion in new programs under four Secretaries of Defense, including the newly unveiled B-21 bomber, Hypersonic Prompt Strike, classified space and intelligence projects, and Joint All-Domain Command and Control programs. He also 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 investments, and was the first Chief Technology Officer of the Space Force and Air Force, managing $75 billion in products. He has also contributed to the early stages of successful software and infrastructure companies. His accolades include the Secretary of Defense Medal for Meritorious Civilian Service, the Secretary of the Air Force Medal for Meritorious Civilian Service, and the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Civilian Service.
Raphael Roettgen
Founding Partner
E2MC
Raphael Roettgen is the founding partner of E2MC, a space-focused early-stage venture capital firm with over 25 space investments to date. E2MC is also a co-founding entity of two accelerators: KickSky, India’s first space accelerator, and the new Orbital Edge accelerator in the U.S.
Besides his VC role, Raphael is a co-founder and CEO of Prometheus Life Technologies, a space biotech startup focused on organoids.
He lectures on space entrepreneurship and finance at several universities including the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology at Lausanne (EPFL), International Space University (ISU), and Nova Business School. Raphael hosts the popular Space Business Podcast, and is the author of “To Infinity”, an introductory book on the space economy.
Previously, he 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.
Beyond the ISS: The Rise of Commercial LEO Stations
Dr. Jeffrey Hoffman
Professor of the Practice of Aerospace Engineering
Director, Human Systems Lab
Director, Massachusetts Space Grant
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Moderator
Dr. Jeffrey Hoffman is a professor in MIT’s Aeronautics and Astronautics Department. He received a BA in Astronomy (summa cum laude) from Amherst College (1966); a PhD in Astrophysics from Harvard University (1971); and an MSc in Materials Science from Rice University (1988). As a NASA astronaut (1978-1997) he made five space flights, becoming the first astronaut to log 1000 hours of flight time aboard the Space Shuttle. Dr. Hoffman was Payload Commander of STS-46, the first flight of the US-Italian Tethered Satellite System. He has performed four spacewalks, including the first unplanned, contingency spacewalk in NASA’s history (STS 51D; April, 1985) and the initial repair/rescue mission for the Hubble Space Telescope (STS 61; December, 1993). As the Astronaut Office representative for EVA, he helped develop and carry out tests of advanced high-pressure space suit designs and of new tools and procedures needed for the assembly of the International Space Station. Following his astronaut career, Dr. Hoffman spent four years as
NASA’s European Representative, working at the U.S. Embassy in Paris. In August 2001, Dr. Hoffman joined the MIT faculty, where he teaches courses on space operations and space systems design. His primary research interests are in improving the technology of space suits and designing innovative space systems for human and robotic space exploration. Dr. Hoffman is director of the Massachusetts Space Grant Consortium, responsible for space-related educational activities. He was Deputy Principal Investigator of the MOXIE
experiment on NASA’s Mars 2020 Perseverance mission, which for the first time produced oxygen from extraterrestrial material, a critical step in the future of human space exploration. In 2007, Dr. Hoffman was elected to the US Astronaut Hall of Fame.
Jiral Shah
VP of Business Development
Gravitics
Jiral Shah leads revenue generation, corporate business strategy, and government engagement at Gravitics, an aerospace company building the next generation of space infrastructure. He aims to connect with prospective industry partners, customers, governments, and organizations to learn, explore, and live in space.
Jiral is former Department of Defense official with experience in national security space acquisitions for commercial services. He was responsible for the acquisition, engineering, finance, and delivery of commercial satellite services to support the joint warfighter, federal agencies, and international partners. He is known for leading technical and programmatic teams focusing on service delivery, innovative technologies, and developing complex business models.
Jiral is a proud veteran of the US Army, and holds a Master’s in Space Systems Engineering from Johns Hopkins University and a Bachelor’s in Electrical & Biomedical Engineering from The George Washington University.
Rich Leshner
VP of Government Affairs
Vast
Over 20 years experience in the space sector, including time in government (NASA), the non-profit sector, at aerospace start-ups, and as a consultant. Previously worked at the White House, leading the development of National Space Policy, and was the first Washington, DC hire at Planet Labs.
Luis Zea
Chief Scientist
Starlab Space
Dr. Luis Zea is the Chief Scientist at Starlab Space and an adjunct professor in the Smead Aerospace Engineering Sciences Department at the University of Colorado Boulder. He holds a Ph.D. in aerospace engineering sciences with a specialization in bioastronautics from the University of Colorado Boulder. His career spans academia, industry, and entrepreneurship, with experience in both business development and scientific research. As an aerospace engineer and gravitational biology scientist, Dr. Zea has worked on 26 spaceflight experiments, from the Space Shuttle to the International Space Station. He has served as a principal investigator for multiple NASA-funded projects, including experiments conducted in low Earth orbit and aboard Artemis I’s mission around the Moon.
Dr. Zea is a co-editor of Springer Nature’s Handbook of Space Pharmaceuticals and served as co-director of Guatemala’s first satellite. His honors include an honorary doctorate, the Karman Fellowship, and the Thora Halstead Award from the American Society for Gravitational and Space Research (ASGSR). He is also a member of ASGSR’s governing board and serves on the organizing committee for the Central American Space Congress. Dr. Zea has advised NASA and the United States National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, contributing to the 2023-2032 Decadal Survey on Biological and Physical Sciences in Space as well as NASA’s science strategy for human exploration of Mars. With expertise in space science, engineering, business development, and lean startups, Dr. Zea is dedicated to advancing Starlab Space’s mission—ushering in a new era where microgravity fuels innovation and unlocks transformative benefits for industries and humanity alike.
Space Policy & Data Sovereignty
Jeff Foust
Senior Staff Writer
SpaceNews
Moderator
Jeff Foust is a senior staff writer for SpaceNews, joining the publication in 2014. He covers civil and commercial space topics, ranging from NASA programs to developments among entrepreneurial space companies. He has extensive experience writing about space policy, commercial space, and related topics. In 2003, he started The Space Review, a weekly publication of longform articles and commentary on a wide range of space topics that continues to operate to this day. He earned a Ph.D. in planetary sciences from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1999 and a B.S. with honors in geophysics and planetary science from the California Institute of Technology in 1993. He received the Press Award from the National Space Club and Foundation in 2018.
Matthew Linton
Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel
True Anomaly
Matthew established the legal department of True Anomaly at its inception, and he is the CLO and General Counsel across all areas of law for the company. He leads an innovative, responsive, and integrated team focused on minimizing risk, fostering breakthrough national and international space law and policy, ensuring compliance, and building a foundation for scaled growth.
True Anomaly builds technology at the intersection of spacecraft, software, and AI to enhance the capabilities of the U.S., its allies, and commercial partners.
David Radzanowski
Chair
​Former Aerospace Corporation CFO, NASA CFO and Chief of Staff and Chief, Science and Space Branch, White House Office of Management and Budget
ISS National Lab Board of Directors
David Radzanowski is Chair of the Board of the International Space Station National Lab. He currently consults part-time with The Aerospace Corporation and the Equator Corporation on space-related topics. He also is an adjunct instructor for Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College program in Washington DC, where he teaches the class How Washington Works. He is also the VP for Finance for the American Astronautical Society (AAS), a member of the Board of Visitors for the University of Wisconsin Astronomy Department, and a member of the International Space Council for the Australian Remote Operations in Space and on Earth (AROSE) consortium.
Mr. Radzanowski has held such positions as Strategic Business Director for Australia’s Future Submarine Program, Aerospace Corporation CFO, NASA CFO and Chief of Staff and Chief, Science and Space Branch, White House Office of Management and Budget.
Radzanowski earned his bachelor's degree in Astronomy-Physics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1988 and a master's degree in Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University's Heinz College in 1990.
Alex Coultrup
Director of Business & Policy
Starfish Space
Alex Coultrup (she/her) is Director of Business and Policy at Starfish Space, a satellite-servicing company building toward the future of affordable, accessible satellite servicing. She earned her M.S. from Florida Institute of Technology, where she focused on Space Policy and Human-Centered Design for microgravity. Alex has worked at the CSIS Aerospace Security Project, was a Matthew Isakowitz Fellow at the XPRIZE Foundation, and Nanoracks, where she worked on the Starlab Commercial LEO Destinations program. Today, her focus is on the commercial business case of satellite disposal in LEO, and engaging with the policy environment for on-orbit servicing operations. She also is deputy director of the Matthew Isakowitz Commercial Space Scholarship, which engages exceptional students with paid space policy summer internships in the DC Metro area.
