Former NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine will become CEO of Quantum Space, a company working on maneuverability in orbit.
Blame it on my roots: Bridenstine, who was NASA chief between 2018 and 2021, told Payload that the new position allows him to get back into national security and defense—“That’s where my background is, and where my heart is,” he said.
- Bridenstine served as a Navy pilot, flying combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan from the USS Abraham Lincoln, as well as F-18s at Top Gun’s parent command.
- After leaving active duty, he served in both the Navy Reserve and the Oklahoma Air National Guard.
- He was elected to Congress in 2012, where he served on the House Armed Services Committee and the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee.
Quantum’s special sauce: Bridenstine said Quantum fills an important need for the military—the importance of maneuvering sats without regret, for dynamic space missions. The company’s Ranger spacecraft—which can refuel other craft, and be refueled itself—can use chemical propulsion for high-speed urgent demands, or electric propulsion for long-duration needs.
“It really, I think, changes how we think about sustained maneuver for orbital operations,” Bridenstine said. “I thought this was a really unique opportunity to do something that could be transformational for space.”
Up and coming: Quantum is part of Kam Ghaffarian’s portfolio, which also includes Axiom Space, Intuitive Machines and X-energy, a nuclear reactor company that went public last month.
“Now that that’s behind him, Kam has said [Quantum Space] is his next big project,” Bridenstine said. “It will get a lot more of his attention. As the requirements of the Space Force continue to evolve…I think it will absolutely be a much higher-profile company as time goes on.”
Staff shuffle: Current Quantum Space CEO and cofounder Kerry Wisnosky isn’t going far. With Bridenstine move to CEO, Wisnowsky will become president. Ghafarrian will be executive chair of the board of directors.
The Artemis Group—the consulting group founded by Bridenstine—will also continue on. Gabe Sherman, a senior partner at the Artemis Group and former NASA chief of staff, will take over as managing partner, Bridenstine said.
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