Elon Musk: As the CEO of SpaceX, Musk’s ambition to make humanity multiplanetary has led to the development of groundbreaking technologies, including the Falcon and Starship rockets. His vision of colonizing Mars is setting the direction for future space tech innovations.
Dr. Gwynne Shotwell: The President and COO of SpaceX, Dr. Shotwell has been instrumental in the company’s numerous space endeavors, ensuring its rockets not only reach space but also return, emphasizing reusability.
Jeff Bezos: The founder of Blue Origin, Bezos has a vision of millions of people living and working in space. New Shepard and New Glenn are testament projects to this dream, aiming for suborbital and orbital flights, respectively.
Dr. Robert Zubrin: A staunch advocate for Mars colonization, Dr. Zubrin, founder of the Mars Society, has been developing technology and strategies, like the Mars Direct plan, aiming for cost-effective Mars missions.
Prof. Sara Seager: An astrophysicist and planetary scientist at MIT, Seager’s work is focused on exoplanet atmospheres and the potential for alien life. She’s involved in missions like the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) that searches for habitable exoplanets.
Dr. K. Sivan: As the chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Dr. Sivan has overseen projects like the Chandrayaan-2 lunar mission. Under his leadership, ISRO is emerging as a significant player in advanced space tech, especially in satellite deployment.
Peter Beck: The CEO of Rocket Lab, Beck is behind the Electron rocket that provides small satellite launch services. His vision to open space for business is making satellite deployment more accessible and affordable.
Tory Bruno: As the CEO of United Launch Alliance (ULA), Bruno oversees the development of rockets like the Vulcan Centaur. With decades of experience, ULA under Bruno’s leadership continues to be a reliable provider for space launch services.
Chris Lewicki: Having been involved with Mars Exploration Rover missions, Lewicki later became the president of Planetary Resources, focusing on asteroid mining—a futuristic vision for resource utilization beyond Earth.
Dr. Mae Jemison: An astronaut, physician, and engineer, Dr. Jemison became the first Black woman to travel in space. Post-NASA, she’s been leading 100 Year Starship, a project focused on ensuring the capability for interstellar human travel within the next century.
