Responsive Launch Services

Louis A. Zacharilla is Director of Innovation & Development for the Space & Satellite Professionals Internationalwhere he serves as strategist and spokesperson for the Society and the industry. He oversees SSPI’s corporate development program and is responsible for developing new chapters and events worldwide.

With the SSPI team Lou created the www.bettersatelliteworld.com campaign and Awards Dinner in London, which promotes the role of satellites as anchors of human development.

Mr. Zacharilla has written hundreds of articles and blogs for trade and business publications, appears regularly in the media and as a speaker and moderator of satellite industry conferences. He developed the World Teleport Association’s Teleport Awards Luncheon, which is now in its 23 years at the Satellite Conference in Washington, DC. He is a co-author of three books, including, Brain Gain.

He gave a TEDx Talk in 2016 and spoke at the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize.

He holds a Masters Degree from the University of Notre Dame (USA) and lives in New York.

Peter Beck is the founder and chief executive of Rocket Lab, the world’s leading dedicated small satellite launch provider. Rocket Lab provides end-to-end mission services, including complete satellite build and launch solutions, that provide rapid, frequent and reliable access to space. Rocket Lab has been launching since May 2017, delivering satellites to orbit for commercial and government customers, including DARPA, NASA, the United States Air Force and more.

Since founding the business in 2006, Peter has grown Rocket Lab to become a globally recognized industry leader in space and a billion-dollar company employing hundreds of world-class engineers. In addition to creating Electron, the world’s first fully carbon-fiber orbital launch vehicle, Peter also oversaw the development of the world’s first and only private orbital launch range, located on New Zealand’s Māhia Peninsula. He played a crucial role in establishing international treaties and legislation to enable orbital launch capability from New Zealand.

Under Peter’s guidance, Rocket Lab will launch thousands of small satellites to orbit, enabling vital science, research, and services from orbit including weather monitoring, communications, technology demonstrations, and Earth-observation.

As Vice President of Business and Strategy at Virgin Orbit, Stephen Eisele is responsible for leading all sales and strategies around commercial and international business efforts, engaging with the civil, commercial and the new space small satellite community. Part of his initiatives includes initiating the Virgin “VIP” Program (or Virgin Interplanetary Program) for satellite missions to journey beyond LEO to GTO, the Moon, Mars and beyond. In addition, he has spearheaded Virgin Orbit’s international spaceport architecture, setting up spaceport partnerships around the world including in the UK, Japan, Italy and many more to be announced.
Prior to joining Virgin Orbit, Eisele served as a senior business development executive for Surrey Satellite Technology US, where he helped lead Surrey’s business growth opportunities through strategic partnerships, including OTB Missions.
Stephen previously served as Vice President of Space Services Inc, a commercial space holdings and investment company, where he managed multi-million dollar companies and start-ups; served as head of sales and marketing for Excalibur Almaz (EA), an international space exploration company created to provide routine, affordable access to and from space; and also worked as the Marketing Director for the X PRIZE Foundation’s Google Lunar Lander Challenge in 2007. Prior to working with entrepreneurial aerospace firms, Stephen worked as a senior analyst for DFI International (now Avascent Group) in Washington, DC, managing and researching numerous projects for Fortune 100 aerospace and defense firms.

Stephen holds a bachelor of arts in international studies from the Johns Hopkins University and a master of arts in international economics and strategic studies from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) where he received the William C. Foster Award for “sound scholarship and a record of distinguished service and leadership.” He also holds a master’s certificate from the International Space University in space business.

Stella Guillen is a VP of Sales & Marketing for Arianespace, Inc. (AEI) responsible for all aspects of Arianespace’s launch services sales and marketing activities for US and Canadian clients. She is also responsible for working with companies developing LEO constellations and small satellites providing global satellite communication services, remote sensing, and earth observation services, and science and technology.

Ms. Guillen’s background spans the satellite industry, from telecommunications to launch services. She has led global sales efforts for SpaceX, Spaceflight and some of the largest satellite fleet operators, such as SES and Intelsat.

Ms. Guillen holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Loyola University and has a Master’s of Business Administration from Johns Hopkins University. She was born in Peru, is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese and is learning French at the moment.

Jarrod is a Senior Sales Manager at SpaceX responsible for sales and commercial business development efforts for SpaceX’s small satellite rideshare customers. In this role, he focuses on deepening the relationship between SpaceX and the worldwide small satellite community. SpaceX’s SmallSat Rideshare Program provides small satellite operators with competitive pricing, increased flight opportunities, flexibility, turnkey service and—most importantly—a ride to space on the world’s most advanced and proven launch vehicles.

Jarrod holds a bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Michigan, a master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from Georgia Tech, and a master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Southern California.

Alexander Serkin is the Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of GK Launch Services, a company established in 2017 by the State Space Corporation “Roscosmos” to provide commercial launch services from the Russian launch sites Baikonur and Vostochny. The key task for GK Launch Services is to develop the services of Soyuz-2 commercial launches and to market the Russian launch vehicles worldwide. Alexander Serkin has been the CEO of the company since its foundation.
For 15 years, Alexander Serkin’s professional career has always been devoted to space industry and commercial space launches with Russian launch vehicles. In 2005, he joined the International Space Company Kosmotras, one of the most successful companies on the LEO launch market then, where he took various positions including a Sales Director. At that period, the company increased its orders portfolio more than two times. In 2012, Alexander Serkin was appointed CEO. Under his management and close involvement, successful launches of the Dnepr LV were carried out from 2013 to 2015.
In 2017, Alexander Serkin took up duty as CEO of GK Launch Services. The company is successfully fulfilling the commercial contracts for satellite launches on the Soyuz-2 rocket from the Russian launch sites. Alexander is actively involved in Roscosmos initiatives on advancing the Russian launch vehicles and developing new solutions in that respect.