Payload Pioneers 2023

Adam Kall cofounded Kall Morris, Inc. in 2019 at the age of 23 because he knew the old way of cleaning up space wouldn’t cut it.

Working in space shouldn’t require operating in a harsh, uncomfortable environment, according to Anastasia Prosina, founder and CEO of Stellar Amenities.

Data collected in orbit is only as good as the systems to quickly downlink the information to Earth. That’s where Apoorva Nori comes in as a technical product manager at Microsoft’s Azure Space, working to connect satellite operators to the cloud. 

Brendan Rosseau believes even Earth-bound businesses need to be prepared for the space economy to take off.

Danielle Rosales’ roots in space go way back.

As a Ph.D. candidate at Yale University, Emma Louden is working at the intersection of astrophysics and the aerospace industry.

Halen Mattison is helping the space industry gas up—both on Earth and in space—in a greener way.

Mapping the Earth from space provides obvious benefits for defense and navigation, but Jennifer Horowitz, Maxar’s senior technical strategic partnerships lead, believes the technology has much broader implications.

When Joanna Hon was growing up in Canada, working in the space industry seemed like just a fantasy. Now, the 27-year old director of R&D at Turion Space says she is working to inspire others to chase their seemingly-impossible goals as well.

Behind some of the UK’s most comprehensive space industry data is a 29-year-old founder focused on developing and growing the nation’s space workforce.

If there’s anyone who understands that the space industry is more than *just one thing,* it’s Josh Ingersoll. 

The founder of the world’s only dedicated rendezvous, proximity operations, and docking (RPOD) software company is aiming to fix the debris problem in Earth’s orbit.

Léa Duthil considers herself a professional stargazer.

Makena Fetzer’s journey to the space industry began at her high school’s telescope observatory in Arizona, where she spent her time gazing up at the stars.

Marilee Jooste is a testament to the fact that talent in the space industry can come from anywhere.

Mirko Viviano, the 27-year-old founder and CEO of Louno Space, is trying to make sure the next generation of space explorers represents the diversity of humankind.

Neil Buchanan wasted no time after completing his Master’s thesis on in-space manufacturing to jump in and get hands-on.

Nidhi Sandeep Vasaikar, a 28-year-old aerospace engineer from India, is on a mission to advance STEM education among students in underserved communities.

Owen Marr, a Blue Origin systems engineer working on New Shepard, is driven to make space accessible to all.

Patrick Finley is building a bridge to connect academic aspirations with real-world aerospace innovations, making rocketry more accessible and tangible for the next generation.

As a product manager at SkiFi, Payton Barnwell is working to make Earth observation data exciting for everyone.

Sahith Reddy Madara can spot what technology will succeed in the commercial market from a mile away.

In 2017, a satellite Sergio Gallucci had worked on failed in orbit. Without real-time tracking and assessment tools, he never understood what went wrong.

At just 25-years-old, Shiv Patel is pitching the government on innovative ideas as the government affairs lead at SpinLaunch.

Stephanie DelPozzo is making a name for herself in the business of space as an associate specializing in aerospace and defense at Nextfed, an M&A firm.

If you told Stephanie Gavell the problem wasn’t rocket science, she didn’t want to be a part of it. 

Thao Nguyen’s work at ICON could allow people to essentially build the Moon version of mud huts.

In the five years Van Wagner has spent in the space community, he’s become known for one thing: rovers.

Victoria Carter-Cortez, a space strategy consultant at the professional services firm PwC, spent her undergraduate years as an astrophysics student.

When Zoe Ingram left her career at LinkedIn and Google to work in aerospace, she encountered an outdated, tedious technological experience the consumer tech world had long ago left behind.