Virgin Galactic, the privately-funded space company owned by Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group and Abu Dhabi’s Aabar Investments PJS, is pleased to welcome Barry Matsumori as Senior Vice President of Business Development and Advanced Concepts for the LauncherOne satellite launcher service.
Matsumori joins Virgin Galactic with more than 25 years of experience in technology and development. Prior positions include Senior Vice President Sales & Business Development at Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) and Qualcomm’s Vice President, Wireless Connectivity. His Qualcomm responsibilities included the development of mobile telecom module products as well as satellite communication infrastructure and terminals.
Virgin Galactic CEO George T. Whitesides said, “Barry is a proven leader in providing customer-focused solutions for the global space industry. We look forward to his contributions as we move toward commercial operations of LauncherOne and related services.”
Matsumori said, “Virgin Galactic has a unique set of capabilities to expand the availability of space access and overall space development. I am excited to be part of the team that will make this happen.”
Matsumori’s experience with early stage technology companies include product development in satellite communications and space launch vehicles and maturing operational processes leading to an IPO. He has held positions at Space Systems Loral and General Dynamics.
Matsumori earned a bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University and a master’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Arizona.
For more information:
Virgin Galactic: www.virgingalactic.com
http://www.image.net/virgingalactic
Press Contact Information
VirginGalacticPress@Edelman.com
ABOUT VIRGIN GALACTIC
Virgin Galactic is the world’s first commercial spaceline. Founded by Sir Richard Branson and owned by the Virgin Group and Aabar Investments PJS, Virgin Galactic will transform access to space for the benefit of life on Earth. To date, 700 men and women from over 50 countries—greater than the total number of humans who have ever been to space—have reserved places to fly on Virgin Galactic’s reusable space launch system, consisting of carrier aircraft, WhiteKnightTwo and spacecraft, SpaceShipTwo. SpaceShipTwo and WhiteKnightTwo are manufactured and tested in Mojave, California, by its manufacturing wing, The Spaceship Company. Spaceflight operations will be based at Spaceport America in New Mexico, the world’s first purpose-built commercial spaceport. Virgin Galactic is also developing LauncherOne, an affordable dedicated ride to orbit for small satellites. As an air-launched rocket, LauncherOne is designed to provide commercial and government-built satellites a flexible launch service that meets each customer’s specific mission requirements. LauncherOne rockets are designed and manufactured in Long Beach, California, and launches will be conducted from various locations.
