Washington, D.C. – Monday, June 15th, 2009 – The Commercial Spaceflight Federation, the industry association of leading businesses and organizations working to make commercial human spaceflight a reality, has selected a new Chairman of the Board, Mark N. Sirangelo of the Sierra Nevada Corporation. Sirangelo and a new slate of officers for the Commercial Spaceflight Federation were elected at a recent board meeting by a diverse cross-section of industry leaders. Mr. Sirangelo is Executive Vice-President of Sierra Nevada Corporation and Chairman of the Board for SNC Space Systems, and most recently served as Chairman and CEO of SpaceDev, Inc., which has now merged with Sierra Nevada Corporation.
In addition, the Commercial Spaceflight Federation (CSF) has elected a slate of senior space industry executives as officers. The new officers include: Eric Anderson, CEO of Space Adventures; Jeff Greason, CEO of XCOR Aerospace; Gwynne Shotwell, President of SpaceX; Will Whitehorn, President of Virgin Galactic; and Stuart O. Witt, General Manager of the Mojave Spaceport. Having completed his three-year term as Chairman, Alex Tai, a Virgin Group Director, welcomed his replacement. “Mark is a fantastic selection to lead this industry in such a critical time. His experience running both small and large aerospace and technical companies, combined with his technical and policy expertise, make him a natural choice.”
“The next few years will be a turning point for commercial spaceflight, with both suborbital and orbital efforts,” said Mr. Sirangelo. “I’m looking forward to working with the rest of the board and with the CSF staff as we continue expanding the commercial space industry.”
About Mark N. Sirangelo
Mr. Sirangelo is currently Executive Vice President of Sierra Nevada Corporation and is responsible for SNC’s Space Systems Group. He was the Chairman/CEO of SpaceDev, Inc., prior to its merging with SNC. Prior to SpaceDev, he was the CEO of an advanced technology commercialization company and a major global communications firm. Corporate and personal awards include induction into the NASA/Space Foundation’s Hall of Fame, Defense Industry Fast Track 50, Deloitte’s Fast Track 500, E&Y’s Entrepreneur of the Year and Inc. Magazine’s top 200 companies. Mr. Sirangelo holds Doctorate, MBA and Bachelor of Science degrees, has been scientifically published, and has served as an officer in the US Military. Mr. Sirangelo’s other board memberships include the Center for Space Entrepreneurship, the California Space Authority, the National Center for Missing Children and the Int’l Centre for Children
About the Commercial Spaceflight Federation
The mission of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation (CSF) is to promote the development of commercial human spaceflight, pursue ever higher levels of safety, and share best practices and expertise throughout the industry. CSF member organizations include commercial spaceflight developers, operators, and spaceports. The Commercial Spaceflight Federation is governed by a board of directors, composed of the member companies’ CEO-level officers and entrepreneurs. For more information please visit www.commercialspaceflight.org or contact Executive Director John Gedmark at 202.349.1121.
