LUNAR ECONOMY SUMMIT SPEAKERS 2023

Didier Schmitt

Head of the Strategy & Coordination Group, Directorate of Human and Robotic Exploration

Massimo Claudio Comparini

CEO

Shatel Bhakta

Agency Lunar Architecture Lead

Dana Baki

Chief Commercial Officer

Cesare Capararo

Head of Programs

Manny Shar

Managing Director

Davide Petrillo

Managing Director

Adnan Al-Rais

Director of Remote Sensing Department

Sam Martin

Senior Partner

Raphael Roettgen

Founder & Partner

Walter Cugno

Vice President Exploration and Science Domain

Ralf Zimmermann

HO Moon Programs and Orion-ESM

Luigi Scatteia

Global Space Practice Leader

Michèle Lavagna

Full Professor in Flight Mechanics

Paolo Maggiore

Full Professor, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (DIMEAS)

Veronica La Regina

 Director General

Kyle Acierno

 Managing Director

Yann Perrot

Senior Manager – Space Practice

Marco Tantardini

European Lead for Space Strategy and BD

Subham Gupta

CEO

Andrea Filippi

Founder

Franco Fenoglio

Manager of Human & Robotic Planetary Exploration Programs

Logan Ware

Director of Business Development

Franco Malerba

First Italian Astronaut and Founder Partner

Roberto Provera

Director, New Initiatives and Innovation, Exploration and Science

Andrea Cabrini

Managing Editor

Teodoro Valente

President

Luca Rossettini

CEO & Co-founder

Sam Martin

Senior Partner

Raphael Roettgen

Founder & Partner

Didier Schmitt

Head of the Strategy
& Coordination Group, Directorate of Human and Robotic Exploration

Didier Schmitt is head of the strategy and coordination group for human and robotic exploration at the European Space Agency. From 2009 to 2018 he was stationed in Brussels, successively in the European Commission Space Policy Unit, as adviser to the President of the EC on technology foresight, and at the EU diplomatic service dealing with space and security. Previously he was head of life sciences for human spaceflight at ESA-ESTEC. As an academic he was Associate Professor at the Toulouse medical school and at the International Space University in Strasbourg. His educational background is PhD in biosciences as well as a certified medical doctor.

Massimo Claudio COMPARINI

Deputy CEO, ESVP Observation Exploration Navigation
Thales

Massimo Claudio Comparini, former CEO at eGeos since 2016 and Director Line of Business Geo Information at Telespazio, has a long and proven track record in space industry, from technology to services, and in the earth observation domain. Massimo holds a Master Degree in Electrical Engineering, Remote Sensing and Radar Systems, University of Rome La Sapienza (Italy), and a Degree in Strategy from Graduate School of Business, Stanford University, CA (USA). He started his career in 1983 at Selenia Spazio (later Alenia Spazio), holding various management positions, up to the role of Chief Technology Officer. In 2013 he was appointed CTO of Telespazio, a joint-venture between Leonardo (67%) and Thales (33%). In 2016 he became the CEO of eGeos, an ASI (20%) and Telespazio (80%) company, an established international leader in the Earth Observation and Geo-Spatial Information, and, in his role, Chairman of GAF and EarthLab Luxembourg.

Shatel Bhakta

Agency Lunar Architecture Lead

Shatel Bhakta (seh-thul bhuck-tha) is the lead architect on the Lunar Architecture Team for NASA’s Artemis campaign as apart of the overall Moon to Mars Program. He leads a multidisciplinary team across the agency to develop and refine the lunar architecture and Artemis concepts, which includes its associated mission scoping, concept of operations, trades and analysis, system element conceptualization, and system-of-systems integration.

Bhakta earned his undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin and his graduate degree in Space Architecture from the University of Houston. With over 20 years of experience in human spaceflight program design, development, test and operations, Bhakta started with analysis, testing, and mission support for the Space Station’s active thermal control systems hardware and software where his work earned him numerous commendations including a NASA Spaceflight Awareness award and a Silver Snoopy. He transitioned over to work on development of the Orion deep space capsule and led the active thermal control system and environmental control and life support subsystems team through the critical design review and looks forward to seeing that hardware perform on Artemis II.  He then transitioned to NASA to lead the Gateway thermal team through preliminary design review before taking on his current role.

In his free time, he is a husband and father of three active kids that engage him in robotics, soccer, and BSA scouting activities that currently keep him from watching television shows or reading many good books.

 

Dana Baki

Chief Commercial Officer

Dana Baki is the Chief Commercial Officer of The Exploration Company, one of the fastest growing space companies globally, building reusable space capsules and lunar landers. This Nyx capsule will be the first to use green propellant globally, while flying at a fraction of the cost of global competition.

Prior to joining The Exploration Company, Dana was the co-founder & COO of MUNCH:ON, a food technology platform based out of the Middle East, that was acquired by Careem (Uber’s subsidiary in the region). Before starting MUNCH:ON, Dana was a Partner of Business Development at AlJal Capital—a financing and venture capital firm in the United Arab Emirates. Previous to that, Ms. Baki worked for Procter & Gamble in the United States for 7+ years, benefiting from a wide range of assignments within the company and gaining expertise in Corporate Strategy, Marketing and Consumer Insights.

She holds an MBA from Georgetown University and B.A. in Economics and English Literature from The University of Michigan.

Cesare Capararo

Head of  Programs

After participating to several Human Space Flight projects at Thales Alenia Space,
with the founding of ALTEC in Torino, Italy, and the start of ISS assembly, took
responsibility of the engineering and mission support activities of the logistics modules MPLM at ALTEC. Following an experience at COL-CC as Columbus Flight
Director, he returned to Torino to take responsibility of the ESA ISS Training Logistics
and Operations Support services and other projects, until being appointed as ALTEC Head of Programs.

Manny Shah

Managing Director

Manny is the Managing Director for UK & Europe at Orbit Fab, supporting the development of an in-space propellant and materials supply chain. Manny is focused on technology development, commercialisation, and international growth for this leading space start-up. Manny previously helped develop BryceTech’s international consulting presence into a revenue generating and profitable business, managed the analysis of a multi-billion-dollar portfolio of assets at Inmarsat, and executed on cross-functional initiatives at top-tier investment banks. Manny holds a master’s degree in space studies from the International Space University and a bachelor’s in computer science from the University of Kent.

Manny sits on multiple advisory boards and committees, including UKSA’s Space Technology Advisory Committee, the UK’s Spaceflight Safety and Regulatory Council, and the International Astronautical Federation’s Industry Relations Committee. He is a recipient of the 2023 IAF Young Space Leader, the 2019 and 2020 SSPI 20 under 35 award, SGAC’s Space Generation Leadership award, and the William S. Ball Award for Entrepreneurship.

Davide Petrillo

Managing Director

Davide Petrillo has been appointed as Managing Director at Nanoracks Space Outpost Europe. Davide brings with him a wealth of experience in the aerospace industry, having previously worked as a business manager for Alten Ltd in London and as a business analyst for Accenture in Milano. In October 2021, he was elected as Vice President for Education and Workforce Development of the International Astronautical Federation (IAF), and in 2020, he was appointed as Executive Director of the Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC). Previously, he was the team leader of FELDs Experiment selected by the European Space Agency (ESA) for the Drop Your Thesis! 2014 program. In 2015, he won the IAF “Hans Von Muldau Team Award” for the best team project at the 66th International Astronautical Congress (IAC). Davide holds an M.Sc in aerospace engineering from the University of Padova.

Adnan Al-Rais

Director of Remote Sensing Department

In his capacity as Assistant Director General – Space Operations and Exploration Sector in
the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), Adnan and his team are responsible
for all downstream activities of MBRSC space missions. This includes the Ground
Networks Operations and Maintenance, Missions Operations, Data Processing,
Applications and Value-added Products Development, Interfacing with the end users;
locally and internationally, as well as commercializing MBRSC products and services.
In addition, Adnan is managing the UAE Astronaut Program at MBRSC, managing missions,
and preparing astronauts corps to support current and future Human Spaceflight
missions. Moreover, he is overseeing the Space Science and Space Robotics Lab at MBRSC.
Adnan has published and presented a number of papers in the areas of remote sensing
and satellite image applications. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering
from Khalifa University, Sharjah, UAE

Sam Martin

Senior Partner

Since 2010, Sam has been a partner at Fleur De Lis Partners in Tampa, Florida, accumulating more than a decade of private transaction experience. In 2019, he led application development at an AI startup. After departing in 2020, he deepened his AI research, earned a certificate in CS from NYU, and in 2022, co-authored an ML algorithm for equities analysis. That same year, he invested in Spaced Ventures. He joined their team in March 2023 as Senior Partner and has since helped close 4 transactions representing 14.5mn $USD in AUM. Sam holds a bachelor’s in philosophy and a minor in music from George Washington University.

Raphael Roettgen

Founder & Partner

Raphael Roettgen is the founder of E2MC Ventures, a space-focused early-stage venture capital firm. He is also the co-founder of Prometheus Life Technologies, a space biotech startup that was the first startup to win the Orbital Reef innovation challenge.

He lectures on space entrepreneurship and finance at several universities including the International Space University (ISU) and the Swiss Institute of Technology at Lausanne (EPFL), hosts the popular Space Business Podcast, and is the author of “To Infinity”, an introductory book on the space economy.

Previously, Mr. Roettgen held senior roles at global investment banks and hedge funds and was also a fintech entrepreneur in Brazil.

He holds degrees in finance from Wharton, machine learning from PUC-Rio and space studies from the International Space University, where he also serves as a governing member.

Walter Cugno- Thales Alenia Space

Walter CUGNO

Vice President – Domain Exploration and Science
Thales

After finishing his graduate studies in the field of aerospace engineering and technology, Walter Cugno joined the company in 1975 as a member of the Spacelab programme, the first European manned space system. He then held positions as Assemblé, Test and Integration manager of the Hipparcos satellite, and in project management roles on BeppoSax and on the International Space Station (ISS) programme, developing, amongst other things, the Node2 Harmony, Node 3 Tranquility and Cupola elements, as well as the PMM (Permanent Multipurpose Module) Programme and the Cygnus Pressurized Cargo Module.

 

After time spent as the Director of the ExoMars Programme, he was then appointed as VP, Exploration and Science and head of Thales Alenia Space’s activities in Turin. Walter Cugno is a world-renowned expert in the field of human and robotic space exploration, as well as in the prospective studies of the exploitation of space resources in the “new space” economy.

Ralf Zimmermann

HO Moon Programs and Orion-ESM

Ralf Zimmermann is the assigned head of moon programs and project manager of the Orion European Service (ESM) module at Airbus. The ESM represents half of the spacecraft used by NASA and international partners to return humans to the moon within the Artemis program. Prior to this, Ralf Zimmermann was chief programs officer and managing director of TESAT Spacecom, delivering electronic equipment for satellites (telecom, earth observation and science and constellations). Before joining TESAT he headed a multinational department for Active Radar and Microwave instruments in Airbus Space Systems in the earth observation perimeter. Earlier career stations encompass: Head of German national and Export Satellites, Program Manager for the Automated Transfer Vehicle serving the International Space Station (ISS) and different positions within the Columbus program development for the European Module of the ISS.

Luigi Scatteia

Global Space Practice Leader

Luigi is a Partner in PwC Advisory France. Within PwC he leads the Space Practice worldwide, and core space strategy consulting team based in Paris and Toulouse, focused on serving institutional and commercial stakeholders in the space sector, as well as non-space companies with specific commercial interest in space products and applications. He has 22 years of experience in the space sector and he has extensively supported the Space Industry, the investment community, Space Agencies, intergovernmental organizations, and governments in Europe and Worldwide. He is a regular keynote and panel speaker at space-related events worldwide.  

Michèle Lavagna

Full Professor in Flight Mechanics

Michèle Lavagna is Full Professor in Flight Mechanics at Politecnico di Milano, Aerospace Science & Technology Dept; she has been the Principal Investigator and Project Manager of more than 50 research projects, competitively awarded, with national, international Space Agencies and main players in the Space Sector. She founded and leads the ASTRA team; she leads 4 experimental labs DANCE, ARGOS, ISRU, HERMES). She is currently responsible for the HERMES project to integrate ready to fly 6 nanosats for multi-messenger astrophysics, EC/ASI financed foreseen to fly end 2023 begin 2024, the ESA-VULCAIN study to implement a very LEO formation flying for Earth Observation; the ESA-e.Inspector mission to fly around a space debris in preparation of ADR; she leads the ORACLE experimental plant on lunar ISRU for water extraction on the Moon; she is Expert for Cluster 4HE, destination 5, nominated by the Minister; she was member of the HESAC-ESA advisory group for manned/unmanned Space Exploration and of the Scientific Committee of the Italian Space Agency; she is co-chair of the MDT for the NASA\CSA\JAXA\ASI Mars Ice Mapper mission; she’s member of the Innovation and Research Lombardy Forum; she’s been selected as expert for the USPA Italian government office. She has a 22 h-index according to Scopus, and she is author of 292 scientific papers on refereed journals and conferences, focused on space system engineering, astrodynamics and advanced GNC for spacecraft.

Paolo Maggiore

Full Professor, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (DIMEAS)

Paolo Maggiore received the M.Sc. degree in aerospace engineering from Politecnico di Torino in 1988. In 1992, he joined the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Politecnico di Torino where he is currently full professor of aerospace general systems engineering.

His interests range from human spaceflight and exploration, to innovative power system for space and aviation applications, health monitoring of aerospace system by innovative sensors integration, and multidisciplinary design optimization of aerospace system design.

Veronica La Regina

Director General

She is currently Director General of Space Cargo – Italy. Veronica boasts an illustrious career path, with previous roles including Commercial Director at Logic SpA and Sole Director (equivalent to CEO without a board) of Nanoracks Space Outpost Europe in Italy. She has also held pivotal positions as a Strategy and Business Development Officer at RHEA B.V. and as a Business Innovation Expert at the European Space Agency (ESA) – ESTEC, focusing on commercial partnerships for space exploration. Her journey spans various esteemed organizations, such as the European Space Policy Institute in Vienna, Telespazio SpA in Rome, and the Wave Energy Centre in Lisbon, in addition to research roles at universities across Europe and the USA. Veronica’s educational process is equally impressive, encompassing degrees in System Engineering, Space Policy, and Law, along with her pursuit of PhD studies in Economics. Veronica’s outstanding accomplishments have garnered recognition, including awards such as the Leader title from the Italian Branch of the Business Professional Women Network in 2017, the Masaniello 2021 Award as a global talent in 2021, and the Business Resilience Award 2022 for her exceptional leadership of Nanoracks Europe during the Covid-19 pandemic. Her commitment extends to governance, as she was elected as a board member of the Association of Italian companies for Applications, Technologies, and ITC for Space purposes (ASAS Spazio) in 2022. Veronica’s contributions to the field of space span publications, research affiliations, mentorship, government advising and coaching within prominent networks, solidifying her as a distinguished figure in the realm of space exploration and innovation. Latest she is advising the Intra-American Development Bank for Space Affairs, primarily supporting the Colombian Presidentship in establishing the national Space Agency.

Kyle Acierno

Managing Director

Kyle Acierno is the Managing Director of OffWorld Europe. He is an international expert in commercial space and a specialist in lunar exploration. Kyle has led teams in Asia, Europe, and the US, winning over $100M in lunar related contracts. He sits on the Board of World Space Week, the IAF Industry Relations Committee, and served as the Chair of Technical Committee of the Hague Space Resources Working Group. 

Yann Perrot

 Senior Manager – Space Practice

Yann Perrot has 8 years of experience in consulting and in the Space sector, working with both commercial companies and public institutions. Yann has conducted various socio-economic impact assessments for European space programmes, characterising the benefits and externalities of the space sector across downstream sectors. Yann also support commercial actors in the assessment of their market opportunities. He led several studies focusing on space exploration, the exploitation of lunar resources and the synergies between Space and non-Space industries in this endeavour.  In parallel to his consulting activities, Yann is a coordinator for the Lunar Commerce & Economics working group of the Moon Village Association.

Marco Tantardini

European Lead for Space Strategy and BD

Marco Tantardini is European Lead for Space Strategy and Business Development at Lockheed Martin, based at the Lockheed Martin office in Rome (Italy).

From May 2021 to October 2022, he has been an Expert for Space Policy in the Italian Government, in the Office of the Prime Minister, advising the Chair of the inter-Ministerial Committee for Space Policy (the Italian National Space Council). In 2019-2020, he was a member of the staff of the Secretariat of the first Italian National Space Council. In 2015-2018, he has been an Italian Space Agency (ASI) Associate in the Unit of the Technical Advisors to the President, appointed as the ASI technical contact point with the NASA HQ in the NASA-ASI feasibility study for the Italian participation in the NASA’s ARM Program (Asteroid Redirect Robotic Mission, ARRM, phase).

He holds a BSc in Aerospace Engineering from Politecnico di Milano, and received a MSc in Space Engineering from the Delft University of Technology, in the Netherlands.

Subham Gupta

 CEO

Subham Gupta is the CEO of Space Resources Laboratory and CTO at Asteroid Mining Corporation. He has worked on several space missions including industry and academia and has authored several research papers on small satellite structures. He has been endorsed as an Exceptional Talent by the Royal Academy of Engineering and the UK Government and has been listed in the Forbes 30 under 30 Europe (2023) list in Manufacturing & Industry category.

Andrea Filippi

Founder

Graduated in Industrial Product Design from UQAM in Montreal (CA), he obtained a Master’s Degree in Design for Innovation in Mobility from the Politecnico di Milano in 2002. He initially worked at AlfaRomeo and later at the advanced design division of FIAT auto (TO), eventually founding the Design Gang Network in 2004, which he currently manages and directs. With 20 years of experience in the fields of product design, communication, and education, he serves as a team leader and oversees creative output, budgets, and relationships. He has international experience as
a design director. Specializing in visionary and innovative projects, he grounds his work in the deep connection between person-environment-product and communication.
He possesses a keen interest and specific expertise in the field of space design.

Franco Fenoglio

Manager of Human & Robotic Planetary Exploration Programs

Graduated in Nuclear Engineering at the Turin Polytechnic, he joined Thales Alenia Space (at that time Aeritalia) in February 1990, starting with the design of components for the thermal and environmental control of space vehicles, before moving to deal with architectures and development of thermo-mechanical subsystems and systems.

In the late 1990s he took on the role of technical manager / Chief Engineer of the Nodes of the International Space Station, in particular Node3 which he led up until the final integration campaign at NASA KSC which preceded the launch with the Space Shuttle in February 2010.

Subsequently, he was the Thales Alenia Space Systems Manager of the Orion’s European Service Module until PDR and of various other ESA Exploration Scenarios Studies, before moving in 2014 from the engineering division to the Bid & Management department, taking first the position of Manager of Advanced Exploration Programs and then, in 2017, of the Human Spaceflight Unit which included all the main running programs of Thales Alenia Space for ISS, Moon and Mars.

Today, he is the Head of the Human & Robotic Planetary Exploration Unit involving crewed missions to Moon with specific focus on Artemis program’s elements like Gateway, landing systems and lunar surface habitats, and robotics missions to Mars like Exomars and TAS contribution to Mars Sample Return.

During his career he has extensively interfaced and worked with the European and Italian Space Agencies, with all the main NASA Space Centers (Houston JSC, Huntsville MSFC and Cape Canaveral KSC) and with several major international space companies.

Logan Ware

Director of Business Development

Logan is the Director for International Business Development at Blue Origin and is responsible for the commercial development of launch and exploration systems. Since joining Blue in 2019, he led corporate strategy for the launch services and lunar transportation market after serving as the program manager for the New Shepard Crew Capsule. Prior to joining Blue Origin, he held various roles at Rolls-Royce, including leading small and medium engine sales with EMEA & APAC regional airlines and supported the international expansion of the F-23B. Logan holds a Bachelor in Systems Engineering and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Franco Malerba

First Italian Astronaut and Founder Partner

Franco Malerba is the first Italian astronaut: he flew in space with the shuttle Atlantis from 31 July to 8 August 1992, carrying the Eureca laboratory and the Italian “Tethered” satellite in space. The mission was the result of a collaboration between ASI and NASA and was the first manned mission of the Italian Space Agency.

 Franco Malerba is the founding partner of Space V, an Italian startup working in the field of bioregenerative systems for manned space missions. 

 In his past career Franco Malerba was a research scientist at the Italian CNR and ESA, held management positions in industry – Digital Equipment, and Alenia Spazio – served as elected Member of the European Parliament (1994-99) and served as Scientific Attaché of the Italian Mission to OECD, ESA and the International Energy Agency in Paris (05-013).

 Lecturer at the University of Genoa he also contributes to the dissemination of science with the yearly organization of the Italian Space Festival in Busalla.

Franco Malerba

Director, New Initiatives and Innovation, Exploration and Science

Roberto Provera serves, since January 2019 as Director of New Initiatives, Partnerships and Innovation in the Domain Exploration and Science of Thales Alenia Space.

Earlier, he served as Director of New Initiatives and Customer Solutions Development (2017-1018) Innovation Director Human Spaceflights and Transportation Programs (2009 – 2016); as Director Human Space Transportation and Exploration Programs (2004 – 2009); as staff of the Senior Vice President of Infrastructures and Scientific Satellites with the responsibility for Business Development in 2004. In 2003 he was the Head of System Engineering Unit and Deputy Head of Avionics and Operations Director. From 1992 to 2002, Roberto Provera led the Operations & Logistics Department.

Roberto Provera is member of the board of ALTEC (Aerospace Logistics Technology Engineering Company) , a PPP between the Italian Space Agency and Thales Alenia Space.

He is also member of the Technical and Scientific Committee of the Edoardo Amaldi Foundation and of the Steering Board of Piedmont Aerospace Cluster.

He has had significant roles in projects like Columbus Laboratory, Multi-Purpose Logistics Module, Delta II Second Stage Tanks, EXPERT, Intermediate Experimental Vehicle (IXV), Cygnus Pressurized Cargo Module, Orion European Service Module.

He graduated at Politecnico di Torino in 1985 in Nuclear Engineering.

Andrea Cabrini

Managing Editor

Andrea Cabrini is the Managing Editor of ClassCnbc, the Italian branch of Cnbc.

He’s also Co-Managing Editor of Milano Finanza, Italy’s premier financial magazine, coordinating digital and print platforms.

Cabrini is a financial journalist and anchor with three decades of experience covering the economy, global markets, and the banking and asset management industry.

He presents Ceo Talks exclusive interviews to Italian and foreign CEOs. He’s also curator of a multimedia project on digital transformation Italia 4.0.

He’s moderator of financial Italian and international events, including G7 multistakeholder conferences, ECB Banking Supervision Forum etc.

He is in charge of Media Experience class at Bocconi University and SDA Bocconi.

Prior to joining Class Editori, Andrea Cabrini has been working for ten years as Editor in Chief and anchor at Mediaset, the first private media company in Italy.

He left in 2000 to start up ClassCnbc and to develop the broadcasting activities of Class Editori.

He studied Political Sciences at the Universita’ degli Studi di Milano and became journalist after a master at IFG, Istituto per la Formazione al Giornalismo, in 1986.

He’s 57, lives in Milan and has two sons.

Teodoro Valente

President

In charge as President of the Italian Space Agency since June 14th 2023; Full Professor of Materials Science and Technology and Aerospace Materials at Rome University “La Sapienza”.

 

 

  • Graduated in Mechanical Engineering (1989), master’s in business administration at LUISS University of Rome (1993).
  • Former consultant of Snamprogetti Spa (1990-1992), visiting Scientist at the Osaka National Research Institute (1997), National seconded expert by the MUR at the European Commission for European Scientific and Technological Cooperation Actions in the Materials Area (COST, 1996-1997), first Director and then President of the National Interuniversity Consortium on Materials Science and Technology (until 2020).
  • From 2010 to 2019, Director of the Department of Chemical Materials Environmental Engineering at Rome University “La Sapienza”; past Vice President of the public-private Consortium Sapienza Innovation; past member of the Sapienza Patent and Spin-off Committee.
  • He has been, from 2016 to 2020, Vice Rector for Research, Innovation and Technology Transfer of Sapienza University of Rome.
  • Former President (2019 – 2022) of the National Cyber4.0 Competence Center on cyber-security.
  • Former Director of the National Research Council Institute IPCB (2023, Institute for Polymers Composites and Biomaterials).
  • He has been Vice-President and member of the Board of Directors of Grint Scarl (Tuscan Nanotechnology Innovation Research Group); member of Panel D1 “Materials Science and Technology” for the assessment of CNR institutes working in the area “Materials Science and Technology”; MUR’s delegate for the ERA-Net Actions on Materials (2010/2013); President of the Italian Association on Materials Engineering (2005-2009); President’s delegate of the Italian Association for Industrial Research for relationships with Universities (2008-2011); responsible for relationships with the Italy-Japan Permanent Laboratory “Research Institute for Nanoscience – RIN Kyoto” at the Kyoto Institute of Technology (2004-2006); member of the Organizing Committee of the CNR Department “Chemical Sciences and Technologies of Materials” (2012).
  • Evaluator, on behalf of MUR, MISE and European Commission of research and development project proposals in the context of numerous competitive calls.
  • Member of the ASI-Sapienza Scientific Committee related to the Framework Agreement between the two Institutions; member of the Scientific Technical Committee of RINA Spa; coordinator of the Selection Committee for the ERC PE Area, MUR-FARE 2021 Call; member of the MUR Evaluation Committee sector PE_11 for the call on Italian projects of relevant national interest (PRIN); member of the Scientific Committee of the Prometheus Center in Venice; member of the Board of Directors of the Matelios Consortium – Technological District on Advanced Materials for Renewable Energies.
  • Has been responsible of numerous research and development projects, also in public-private partnerships. Research and development activity was focused on fields related to Materials Science and Technology, Applied Chemistry and Chemical Fundamentals of Materials Technologies, with attention to technology transfer issues. Author of more than 190 publications and 3 international patents.
  • Editor in Chief of the “Journal of Applied Biomaterials and Functional Materials”; in 2013 he received the Marco Polo Award for Italian Science by the Italian Cultural Institute in Osaka, with the patronage of the Italian Embassy in Tokyo.

Luca Rossettini

CEO & Co-founder

Luca is a visionary entrepreneur, seeking a profitable and sustainable expansion of the humankind in space. In 1998 Luca quits his Airborne Officer career and got a Master’s in Aerospace Engineering in Italy (2003). After a year working in a US research lab on nanotechnologies applied to space propellant, he came back to Europe, where, in 2005, he successfully concluded a Master’s in Strategic Leadership Towards Sustainability.  

During his Ph.D. studies in Advanced Space Propulsion – concluded in 2008 with honors – Luca founded IRTA (startup providing advanced vision and slow-motion tracking techniques). In 2006 he co-founded The Natural Step Italia (The Natural Step is an international NGO that helps corporations and communities to pursue their objectives within a strategic sustainability framework), where the idea of applying strategic sustainability concepts to the space sector originated. In 2008 he applied for the European Astronauts Corp among 10,000 candidates. He went through the whole selection and positioned among the first two hundred.  

Nevertheless, his motivation pushed Luca to find another access to space. In 2009 Luca won a Fulbright scholarship and in 2010 obtained a Certificate in Technology Entrepreneurship in Silicon Valley, California. After an internship position at NASA Ames Research Center, Luca Rossettini went back to Italy and founded D-Orbit, developing a solution for Space Logistics & Transportation.  

Luca loves parachute jumping, scuba diving and eats science fiction books. 

Giacinto Carullo

Giacinto CARULLO

Chief Procurement & Supply Chain Officer

Giacinto Carullo is the Chief Procurement & Supply Chain Officer of Leonardo since September 2020.

He earned a degree in Mechanical Engineering and owns a Master in Procurement and Supply Chain Management from MIP Business School in Milan.

Giacinto started his career path in the Automotive industry, covering different positions in Manufacturing and in Procurement. He worked in Denso, Magneti Marelli and FCA. He was in US to support FCA procurement post merging roadmap.  Then he moved in Germany as VP Purchasing for Magneti Marelli Automotive Lighting.

Giacinto joined Leonardo-Finmeccanica in 2013 as VP Strategic Sourcing for the Helicopter Division. In 2016 he served as Chief Procurement Officer for Leonardo Defence Systems, and in 2017 became SVP Procurement and Supply Chain for Leonardo Aircraft Division.

Giacinto currently is Member Board of Director of ATR aircraft in Toulouse, France.

Walter Cugno

Vice President Exploration and Science Domain

After finishing his graduate studies in the field of aerospace engineering and technology, Walter Cugno joined the company in 1975 as a member of the Spacelab programme, the first European manned space system. He then held positions as Assembly, Test and Integration manager of the Hipparcos satellite, and in project management roles on BeppoSax and on the International Space Station (ISS) programme, developing, amongst other things, the Node2 Harmony, Node 3 Tranquility and Cupola elements, as well as the PMM (Permanent Multipurpose Module) Programme and the Cygnus Pressurized Cargo Module. After time spent as the Director of the ExoMars Programme, he was then appointed  as VP, Exploration and Science and head of Thales Alenia Space’s activities in Turin. Walter Cugno is a world-renowned expert in the field of human and robotic space exploration, as well as in the prospective studies of the exploitation of space resources in the “new space” economy.

Timothy Cichan

 Chief Architect, Commercial Civil Space

Timothy Cichan (Chee-haan) is the Space Exploration Architect at Lockheed Martin, where he leads a multi-disciplinary team of engineers who figure out how to help astronauts and robots visit the Moon, asteroids, and Mars. He previously was the Orion System Architect. Timothy joined Lockheed Martin in 2002, and has worked for both human spaceflight and commercial communication satellite teams, in optimal trajectory design, mission analysis, subsystem development, and systems engineering. He has a Master’s and Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from Penn State.

Theodora Ogden

Analyst – Defence & Security

Theodora Ogden is an Analyst in the Defence and Security team at RAND Europe, where she focuses on emerging technologies, strategy and space as an operational domain. Her work has helped inform UK MOD and the UK Space Agency, including towards development of the British National Space Strategy and security strategy. She currently manages a large-scale evaluation of the UKSA’s Earth Observation programme. In 2022 Theodora spent six months on secondment at Arizona State University as the inaugural Interplanetary Initiative Fellow, leading research on equitable access to space and emerging spacefaring countries. She regularly publishes and speaks on the future of space and key geopolitical, legal and economic challenges. Theodora also provides advice and research input for various international working groups and policy initiatives. With an academic background in security and international law, Theodora previously worked at NATO HQ SACT and the Fundamental Rights Agency of the EU, as well as at several think tanks and non-profit organisations.

Joshua Western

CEO and Co-founder

Josh co-founded Space Forge in 2018. From kick-starting their mission to change the face of the space industry – making space work for humanity – Josh, and co-founder Andrew Bacon, have taken the industry leading startup from a garage in Bristol to raising the largest ever seed round in Europe by a Space Tech company. 

Space Forge is developing the world’s first fully reusable platform, to unlock the benefits of space for manufacturing and experimentation at scale. By producing next generation materials off planet and returning to Earth, a stepchange in humanity’s progress is possible – with the power to progress a clean industrial revolution.

 

Prior to co-founding Space Forge, Josh gained a vast knowledge of the UK Space Industry: working for Thales Alenia Space across marketing and sales, as well as was being seconded to the UK Space Agency, where he worked on everything from Critical National Infrastructure to technology harmonisation with European Space Agency member states.