A discussion on how innovation in payloads and space vehicles is changing the competitive landscape in space and creating new use cases for national security and commercial customers.
Michael Madrid is the Chief Growth Officer at Starfish Space, where he leads business development with commercial and government customers and partners. He joined the company after eight years on active duty in the US Navy as a Surface Warfare Officer, with tours on forward-deployed destroyers based in Japan and Spain as well as on a Pentagon staff. Michael earned a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the US Naval Academy and an M.A. in Defense and Strategic Studies (with Space Emphasis) from the US Naval War College. He is also a non-resident Scowcroft National Security Fellow of the Eisenhower Center for Space and Defense Studies at the US Air Force Academy.
Even establishes True Anomaly’s strategic objectives and aligns resources for their execution. Prior to co-founding True Anomaly, Even served as an Air Force officer, leading interdisciplinary teams of space operators, scientists, and engineers to develop and evaluate the performance of military systems and tactics designed to protect U.S. and allied space assets. Even is the author of six seminal texts that serve as foundational doctrine and training for U.S. military space operations. He was a major contributing author of the U.S. Space Force’s inaugural Spacepower: Doctrine for Space Forces. He has held leadership positions in space system developmental and operational test, training, spacecraft operations, and joint fires.
Shey Sabripour is the Founder and CEO of CesiumAstro, a leader in space communications with 300+ employees across 5 global locations, serving commercial and U.S. national security customers. He served 24 years with Lockheed Martin as a design engineer, program manager, and Director of Spacecraft Design, leading 350 engineers in developing 36 geostationary satellites. Shey was CTO of Firefly Space Systems (now Firefly Aerospace) from 2014 to 2016, leading Alpha Rocket development and securing NASA and DARPA contracts. In 2017, Shey founded CesiumAstro to advance phased array technology. He is co-author of a spacecraft power technology textbook, holds multiple U.S. patents, and proudly serves on the Texas Aerospace and Space Economy Consortium (TARSEC).
John has over two decades of experience investing in and leading national security oriented technology companies. John is presently the CEO of HawkEye 360, the global leader in space-based radio frequency collection, mapping, and analytic capabilities. He previously served as Senior Vice President of Allied Minds where he led the formation, financing, and management of ten dual-use defense technology companies. A former Airborne Ranger-qualified U.S. Army infantry officer, John is a graduate of the US Military Academy, the Harvard Business School and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
Col Peter Mastro is the Lead for the Concept and Technology Center planning team on Space Futures Command Task Force. Most recently he was Senior Materiel Leader for the Tactical Command, Control, and Communication Delta within the BMC3 PEO at Space Systems Command. Prior to those roles, Col Mastro served in a wide breadth of Air Force acquisition assignments ranging from early research at the AFRL, Deputy Program Manager for GPS IIF, and serving as Mission Manger for on-orbit checkout. Col Mastro has supported the Next Generation OPIR ground segment, the Future Operationally Resilient Ground Element (FORGE), and was the Program Element Monitor for the Air Force's space superiority portfolio.
Mo Islam is the co-founder of Arkaea Media Group, which includes Payload, a space media company that covers the business and politics of space. Prior to Arkaea, Mo Islam was a senior member of Deutsche Bank and J.P. Morgan's institutional asset platform, where he raised over $250 million in strategic capital for growth-stage technology companies.