Virgin Group and Aabar are pleased to announce the appointment of Dan Hart as CEO of Virgin Orbit.  Dan joined the organization in March as President after a distinguished 34 years at Boeing, where he was responsible for all of the company’s satellite programs for the US government and several allied countries. His appointment is the final step in the planned establishment of Virgin Orbit as an independent space access company dedicated to serving the small satellite market.
 
Patrick McCall, Chairman of the Boards of Virgin Orbit and Virgin Galactic/The Spaceship Company, said:  “Virgin Orbit is poised to revolutionize access to space for small  satellites.  Dan is an extraordinary leader for the company as it moves towards the start of commercial service. Our commercial space companies are all poised to be market leaders in their categories thanks to our shared vision, world class teams and our tremendously capable leaders. We look forward to realizing our space ambitions with Dan as CEO of Virgin Orbit and George T. Whitesides as CEO of Virgin Galactic and The Spaceship Company.”
 
Dan Hart, CEO of Virgin Orbit, said, “I am honored to be leading the Virgin Orbit team, a company of experts and innovators who are poised to fundamentally change the way satellite launch is done. The market has responded enthusiastically to our small satellite launch service, and we look forward to helping our customers fulfill their missions and enable a host of exciting space-based capabilities that will bring global benefits to us all.”
 
George Whitesides, CEO of Virgin Galactic and The Spaceship Company, will join the board of Virgin Orbit. He said, “Dan is a terrific leader who will guide the business toward innovative solutions for small satellite space access. Virgin Orbit, as a fully independent entity, will provide dedicated and world-class service to its customers.”