Shaping the future of life in space requires a dynamic group of passionate humans here on Earth. Vast’s versatile and ambitious team includes experts in a variety of disciplines to make this future happen.
Team experience at a glance


Leadership

Jed is a software engineer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. He is renowned for founding Vast, Stellar, the Astera Institute, Ripple, and the eDonkey Network.

Max is an aerospace, consumer electronics, and internet entrepreneur. Founded, scaled, and successfully sold four companies including Launcher (acquired by Vast), Mevo (acquired by Logitech), and Livestream (acquired by IAC/Vimeo).

Proven track record of building and leading transformative R&D and Engineering teams across various tech fields, including space vehicles, quantum computing, imaging systems, and scientific instruments. Most recently the Vice President of Avionics at SpaceX.

Veteran NASA astronaut with 23 years of experience including NASA's acting Chief Astronaut from late 2022-early 2023, Deputy Chief of the Astronaut Office from 2020-2022, and flying two times to the ISS and one time to repair the Hubble telescope in 2018, 2011, and 2009. He joined Vast as an advisor in 2023.

Olivier has decades of experience driving revenue growth and shaping business strategies across the defense, aerospace, legal, and law enforcement sectors. He previously served as the Chief Revenue Officer of CHAOS, the Global Head of Utilities at Palantir Technologies, and in various roles with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Over 20 years of investment banking experience advising high-growth companies in the technology, consumer, and industrial sectors. Proven expertise in public and private M&A, IPOs, and capital raises at Rothschild & Co. and previously at J.P. Morgan.

An Emmy-winning designer and storyteller who led product innovation at Google, Apple, and Starlink. A commercial pilot best known for her role as SpaceX’s first Director of Design, leading the visual strategy and narrative development for a transformative new era of human spaceflight under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

Over 20 years of experience designing, building, and operating critical infrastructure and systems for aerospace and other industries. He has been a security, infrastructure, and systems leader at SpaceX, Virgin Orbit, Reliable Robotics, and others.

An engineer with a decade of experience in the aviation industry, she has held significant roles at industry leaders like Airbus. Proficient in driving strategic initiatives, she leverages her multicultural background and leadership skills to contribute to organizational success.

Nearly 20 years as a trusted legal advisor in highly regulated industries, including aerospace, military protective equipment, advanced manufacturing, and luxury goods. Proven experience proactively addressing emerging legal risks, such as global supply chain instability, government contract compliance, and internal and government investigations.

Over 15 years of experience leading People & Talent teams in high-growth aerospace and tech startups including Relativity Space, Onica, and a global dating app. Strategy and management consulting experience with Deloitte, Samsung, and Luminary Labs.

Extensive experience leading manufacturing and supply chain operations in the space industry. He was previously the senior director of supply chain at Relativity Space, the vice president of manufacturing at Virgin Orbit, and director of composites production at SpaceX.

Over 20 years of experience transforming and leading Supply Chain Operations teams within aerospace. Scaled operations teams for Blue Origin, Sierra Space, and Orbital ATK.

Over two decades of spaceflight experience in sales, design, production, launch, and operations at startups, primes, and U.S. Government positions spanning the entire space architecture, including national security programs, lunar missions, and commercial space stations.

Led the development of world class factories and office spaces including the first high volume production lines at SpaceX supporting the Starlink program, and facilities used by SpaceX's Dragon, Falcon 9, and Starship assembly and test teams.

Over 20 years of experience in communications and public affairs across government, corporate, and hyper-growth startups, including Uber, SpaceX, and Chime. Expertise in corporate, policy, and strategic communications.

Over 20 years experience in the space sector, including time in government (NASA), the non-profit sector, at aerospace start-ups, and as a consultant. Previously worked at the White House, leading the development of National Space Policy, and was the first Washington, DC hire at Planet Labs.

Nearly 20 years marketing, selling, and delivering private astronaut flights to the International Space Station, including the flights of Richard Garriott, Charles Simonyi, Guy Laliberte, Yusaku Maezawa (MZ) and Yozo Hirano. Previously was President at Space Adventures.

Over a decade of experience fostering strong commercial and corporate partnerships with industry leaders, including Axiom Space and Zero-G. Has served as a key board member for various initiatives dedicated to advancing human spaceflight.

Over 30 years of aerospace experience in government and commercial sectors focused on business strategy and development. Career fighter jet instructor and demonstration pilot. Co-founded Draken International and trained crews for the Inspiration4 and Polaris Dawn missions to orbit aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft.

Over 20 years of experience in people and talent acquisition across North America, EMEA, and APAC. Expertise includes developing strategic hiring frameworks, scaling teams globally, and attracting top talent to innovative industries.
Engineering Leadership

Accomplished engineering leader with over 15 years of experience at SpaceX, NASA JPL, Muon Space, and Zipline. Part of the initial SpaceX Starshield team, and supported Falcon 9, Crew Dragon, and Cargo Dragon across various functions including flight power systems, mission operations, and avionics.

A decade of engineering and leadership experience at SpaceX bringing Falcon 9, Dragon, and Starship to reality. Led teams within the Crew Dragon program from its early development to first astronaut flights. Founding team member at Vast, driving the Haven-1 program from inception through flight hardware.

Responsible for SpaceX's Falcon 9 second stage primary structure for the NASA Crew upgrades, Falcon Heavy thrust structure, Starship Super Heavy booster aft dome re-design, and various structural redesigns to comply with NASA standards.

Over 30 years of experience in the field of human spaceflight mission operations with leadership positions at NASA, Axiom Space, Collins Aerospace, and Bigelow Aerospace. Led operations personnel in the successful execution of International Space Station (ISS) assembly activities and the first three Private Astronaut Missions to the ISS.

Contributed to commercial spaceflight programs at both SpaceX and Blue Origin, focusing on safety, reliability, and reusability. Has contributed to human rating certification of Falcon 9 and Dragon 2, and was responsible for safety and mission assurance for several New Shepard flights.

25 years of experience developing astrodynamics software and GNC systems, including core algorithms for STK, mission design, operations, and GNC algorithms for SpaceX's Falcon 9 launch vehicle and Starshield spacecraft.

Engineering and product leader with 15 years of experience supporting government and commercial customers. Worked across multiple industries including aerospace, cloud computing, and cybersecurity. Most recently the Director of Starlink enterprise engineering and new product development at SpaceX.

Engineering leader with turbomachinery and propulsion expertise. Led global teams for product launches at Honeywell, contributed to certifying the Merlin turbopump and led the Raptor engine team at SpaceX, and developed the Ripley engine and launched a new in-space propulsion business at Ursa Major.

15 years of experience in human and robotic spaceflight, including NASA’s certification of Crew Dragon, mission operations for multiple Cargo Dragon missions to the ISS, and Program Management for two lunar mission payloads at Honeybee Robotics.

Power systems engineer with 15 years of experience leading teams in power, avionics systems, GNC, flight performance, and integrated system modeling. Experience in utility scale power, autonomous UAVs, launch vehicles, human rated spacecraft, and deep space missions at SpaceX and JPL.

Over 18 years of software engineering experience across both the aerospace and tech industries. Previously an engineer at JPL working on Juno and Curiosity, and Falcon and Dragon at SpaceX. Most recently led engineering teams for Google Search and the Netflix Data Platform.

Technical leader with early-stage startup experience across the finance, consumer products, and aerospace industries. Part of the initial Launcher team where he led ground software and ground segment engineering. Passionate about advancing space technology and new opportunities for space exploration and development.
Advisors

Previous Vice President of Mission Assurance for SpaceX, contributing significantly to the company's pioneering efforts in space exploration including human spaceflight.

Experienced aerospace executive and advisor with nearly 20 years in the legal and technology sectors. Was notably SpaceX's first legal counsel based at its California headquarters and a founding team member at Vast. She was recently appointed by the US Secretary of Transportation to the Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee.

Experienced Regulatory & Government Affairs executive with a strong background in Space Law, Policy Analysis & Advocacy, Legal Compliance, Politics, and International Relations.

Propulsion expert and was VP of Propulsion at SpaceX at the end of his 12 year tenure at the company. Direct contributions to all SpaceX boost engines including Merlin and Raptor, as well as additive manufacturing.

World-renowned industrial designer instrumental in the design of Apple’s iPhones, iPads, Macs, and Apple Watches, as well as environments such as Apple’s stores and HQ, and materials and processes.

Previous Avionics Lead for SpaceX Dragon. Currently at Apple leading the user design and validation of the Apple Vision Pro, and previously at Waymo as the Self-Driving System Architect.

25 years of experience, including roles as Chief Revenue Officer at Voyager Space and Vice President for Global Sales at Blue Origin. Demonstrated knowledge of the Commercial LEO Destinations (CLD) market, sales pioneer for the human suborbital spaceflight at Blue Origin.
Astronauts

