The market for space observation is one of the few commercialized segments of the nascent industry and could be worth upwards of $8 billion by the end of the decade, according to some estimates.
At TC Sessions: Space this December 16 & 17, we’ll be discussing what’s ahead for the market with some of the industry’s leading founders, including Payam Banazadeh, the chief executive and founder of Capella Space; Rafal Modrzewski, the chief executive and founder of ICEYE; Peter Platzer, the chief executive of Spire Global; and Melanie Stricklan, co-founder and chief science officer, Slingshot Aerospace.
Between them, these founders have raised roughly $450 million for their respective companies. We’ll discuss the opportunities that investors see in backing companies looking down at Earth and what’s ahead for the industry.
Prior to founding Slingshot, Melanie worked in the United States Air Force, where she was responsible for Space Control and Battle Management integration across mission areas to increase the nation’s ability to protect and defend space capabilities against emerging threats. Then, at the Department of Defense she led the development and deployment of experimental spacecraft, electronic warfare and cyber technologies. She graduated from the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and received her master’s in Space Systems Operations Management from Webster University.
Before founding Capella Space, Payam Banazadeh worked as a project manager and flight systems engineer at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He’s received the NASA Mariner Award, NASA Discovery Award and NASA Formulation Award. An advocate for raising awareness around volatility of life on earth and the consequences of technological innovation, Banazadeh holds a business degree from Stanford and graduated with an Aerospace Engineering degree from the University of Texas.
Peter Platzer co-founded Spire Global back in 2012 with a vision to provide satellite-powered data from any location on earth. Named a White House Champion of Change in 2013 and a Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum, Platzer is now regarded as one of the pioneers in launching small form factor satellites into space. The recipient of a Harvard MBA and an undergraduate degree from Vienna’s prestigious Technical University, Platzer received his early training at CERN and the Planck Institute before turning to a consulting career at BCG. He advised on space commercialization at NASA Ames’ Space Portal while completing an MSS from the International Space University
Rafal Modrzewski was a researcher at VTT, the Technical Research Center of Finland, working on RFID and wireless sensing technologies before he turned his attention to the stars. At ICEYE, which began as a project in 2012 and was formally incorporated in 2014, Modrzewski and his co-founder Pekka Laurila focused on launching and operating small radar imaging satellites to provide reliable Earth observation data.
We’re just about a month away from TC Sessions: Space 2020 and the deadline for securing the early-bird price (and $100 savings) expires this Friday 11.13.20 at 11:59 p.m. PST. If you’re looking for more ways to save, we’ve got you covered. We offer group discount passes ($100 each — bring four team members and get the fifth one free); student discounts ($50); and discounts for government, military and nonprofits ($95). If you subscribe to Extra Crunch, knock an extra 20% off the price of admission – simply email extracrunch@techcrunch.com to get your discount code.
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