Orbital Debris and Collision Avoidance

Gregg Daffner is co-founder and CEO of GapSat, which leases in-orbit, operational satellites to satellite operators for use in their orbital slots for interim periods of time, generally until the operator launches its own satellite. Gregg is also president of G3 Global Communications, an international satellite venture incubation and consulting firm.

Previously Gregg co-founded and was president of Asia Broadcast Satellite (ABS). He headed satellite services for Hong Kong Telecom, was VP for PanAmSat and Lockheed Martin, and Director of International Policy for the US government’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration.

Gregg is a founding member and current President of the Asia Pacific Satellite Communications Council (APSCC), Chairman of the AVIA (formerly CASBAA) Satellite Wireless Action Group, and a member of the Board of Governors and Secretary of the Pacific Telecommunications Council (PTC).

Gregg is an attorney who began his career as a New York-based filmmaker and video artist.

Dan cofounded LeoLabs to accelerate the new commercial economy in LEO, protect satellite assets, and preserve the space environment. LeoLabs is the first commercial data source for tracking satellites and mapping LEO. Prior to co-founding LeoLabs Dan was a Program Director at SRI International where he supervised the Allen Telescope Array and developed advanced radar imaging technologies. Dan holds a Ph. D. from U. C. Berkeley in electrical engineering.

Stanley O. Kennedy, Jr. serves as the President, Chief Systems Engineer, and Co-Founder of OAI and has over thirty-five years of direct, hands-on experience in Aerospace Engineering. Mr. Kennedy has worked on heavy-lift launch vehicles, upper stages, multiple spacecraft programs, and ground systems supporting government and commercial customers both domestic and international. Mr. Kennedy earned his B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, CA, USA, and an M.S. in Engineering Management from the University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA. He is an Associate Fellow and Lifetime Member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) serving at both the regional and national levels. Mr. Kennedy is the Technical Chairman of the AIAA/SmallSat Frank J. Redd Student Competition held annually in conjunction with the AIAA/SmallSat Conference in Logan, UT, USA; and, is a member of AIAA Standards Executive Council (SEC). He also serves on the U.S. Commerce Department’s Industry Trade Advisory Council on Aerospace (ITAC-1). The Committee advises the Secretary of Commerce and the United States Trade Representatives concerning trade matters. Mr. Kennedy is a member of the Technical Committee of the Small Satellite Systems & Service (4S) Symposium. The 4S Symposium is Co-Sponsored by the European Space Agency (ESA) and Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES) of France. Mr. Kennedy is the workgroup 2 (interface, integration, and test) convenor for the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) TC20/SC14 (Space Systems and Operations). Mr. Kennedy also serves as Chair of the Colorado Companies to Watch (CCTW) Alumni Committee.

Mr. Kennedy has held technical and management/executive positions with Comtech AeroAstro, General Dynamics – Advanced Information Systems, and Lockheed-Martin Space Systems Company.

Ron joined Astroscale as Managing Director in April 2019 to lead the company’s business operations in the United States.

Ron brings over 25 years of government and industry experience, encompassing systems engineering, program management, sales and marketing, technology/research and development management, and strategy formulation.

Ron started his career as an Intelligence Officer in the United States Air Force, serving as the focal point for Space Situational Awareness capability development at Air Force Space Command’s Space Control Division. He then joined Boeing and worked on various
programs as a Systems Engineering Manager within Boeing Research & Technology and Phantom Works and led business development activities for the Network & Space Systems division throughout the Asia Pacific region. Prior to joining Astroscale, Ron led
the Defense & Space Asia Pacific sales team at Honeywell Aerospace, helping the company achieve significant sales growth and expansion into new markets.

Over half of Ron’s career has been spent working and living in Japan, and he is an active member of The Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation’s U.S.-Japan Space Forum.

Ron earned a Bachelor of Science from The United States Air Force Academy in 1993.

Ryan is the CEO and co-founder of Benchmark Space Systems, a startup focused on providing propulsion solutions to the small satellite market. His doctoral research into methods of enhancing microscale chemical reactions serves as the basis for Benchmark Space’s flagship product, a liquid chemical bipropellant system. That system, and other Benchmark Space technologies, are aimed at improving the safety and reliability of small satellites.

Greg Orndorff is an aerospace industry veteran with over 30 years of experience across various leadership roles in the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors. Prior to joining Orbion past roles include Vice President, Government Systems at Vector Launch, Vice President – National Security Programs Business Development for SGT, Inc. where he led major business development activities into the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center, the Naval Research Laboratory, the National Reconnaissance Office, and other Intelligence Community organizations, and Deputy Business Area Executive for National Security Space Programs at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL). Greg’s experience also includes executive roles with Northrop Grumman and Orbital Sciences Corporation. Greg is a former United States Air Force Officer where he performed tours in operations and acquisition of space systems.