WASHINGTON — Peter Marquez, former director of space policy for the White House National Security Council (NSC) and a central figure in shaping President Barack Obama’s National Space Policy, will join Orbital Sciences Corp. as vice president of strategy and planning effective Nov. 29.
In his new role, Marquez, 34, will work with Michael Hamel, Orbital’s senior vice president of corporate strategy and development, applying his government background and expertise in U.S. national security, civil and commercial space programs to help craft the Dulles, Va.-based company’s business strategy.
“As we deal with the increasingly congested, contested and competitive nature of space, we think Peter can bring some very fresh insight and understanding relative to the policies and direction of the federal government,” Hamel said in a Nov. 23 interview. “With the increased emphasis in the new National Space Policy on using more commercial capabilities in space, and on future international collaboration, Peter can help us anticipate some of the challenges with the affordability of space activities and the resilience of space capabilities.”
Marquez, who left the Obama White House in September, was appointed to the NSC post in 2007 by then-National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice. He previously worked for a private contractor supporting U.S. Air Force headquarters on space matters before joining the U.S. Defense Department under Stephen Cambone, the Pentagon’s first undersecretary of defense for intelligence.
While at the White House, Marquez played a key role in crafting Obama’s National Space Policy, unveiled in June, which emphasizes international cooperation and commercial space.
Orbital is currently developing the Taurus 2 rocket and Cygnus spacecraft under NASA’s Commercial Orbital Transportation Services program. The rocket and space vessel are designed to ferry low-value cargo to the international space station under a $1.9 billion fixed price agreement with NASA beginning in 2012.
