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Payload Pioneers 2024

Lewis Jones, Seraphim Space

After working with Seraphim Space in the UK as an investor, 28-year-old took on a new challenge in America, working with US startups as an investment VP at Generation Space, the US branch of Seraphim. 

Payload Pioneers 2024

Eric Sundby, TerraSpace

Eric Sundby is on the hunt for ore—and he’s already been to DC to educate lawmakers on what he can do to help.  

Payload Pioneers 2024

Roxanna Pakkar, Rocket Lab

Roxanna Pakkar grew up in space hardware’s backyard—on the west side of LA, where her high school robotics team sought mentorship from engineers at nearby Boeing, Raytheon, and SpaceX facilities.

Payload Pioneers 2024

Pierre Rouzaud, Space Crew

When Rouzaud went to turn his lifelong interest in space and experience as a software developer into a career, he quickly discovered that the act of finding a job in the industry was no simple task. So he founded Space Crew, an aggregator of space industry jobs.  

Payload Pioneers 2024

Richard Nederlander, Aegis Aerospace

Nederlander is building a software tool that will allow systems engineers to evaluate the holistic radiation risks of their spacecraft. 

Payload Pioneers 2024

Ari Rosner, True Anomaly

“I turned to the partners at Riot and said, ‘We should invest in this’…but I also turned to the partners and said, ‘Hey, I want to go and join them.’” That’s how Rosner wound up the second hire and head of product at True Anomaly

Payload Pioneers 2024

Rachel O’Connor, Orbit Fab

Space is hard. Rachel O’Connor is trying to make it easier.

Payload Pioneers 2024

Jeremiah Pate, Lunasonde

The AZ-based startup uses a blend of SAR, robotic systems, and proprietary software to hunt for resources beneath the surface of both Earth and other bodies in space, such as asteroids.

Payload Pioneers 2024

Nicolas Moraitis, Charter Space

As a regulatory affairs officer at Charter, the 25-year-old is working to demystify space law to help the firm’s clients understand the regulations that apply to them. 

Payload Pioneers 2024

Shaurya Luthra, Northwood Space

“You can have the satellites, but if you can’t talk to them, it doesn’t really help at all,” Shaurya Luthra, cofounder and head of software at Northwood Space, told Payload. “We believe the ground industry of today is not ready for that boom.”

Payload Pioneers 2024

M. Razlan Dhamir bin Hamdan, Aphelia Space

Hamdan is the co-founder, CTO, and CEO of Aphelia Space, a Malaysian startup that is trying to use microwave technology to beam power over long distances—potentially powering up sats in orbit or hardware on the Moon.

Payload Pioneers 2024

Guchuhan (Melody) Gao, Kepler Communications

The 27-year-old tried her hand in fields from forestry to medical devices before she found her calling in the space sector.