Dr. Sian Leo Proctor is a visionary poet, artist, explorer, and geoscience educator. In 2021, Dr. Proctor made history as the first artist selected to go to space on the SpaceX Inspiration4 mission. She is the first woman commercial spaceship pilot and the only African-American woman to be a mission pilot. Her motto is Space2inspire and her mission is to bridge the gap between art and science by encouraging everyone to let their EarthLight shine. She is an international speaker and the 2024-25 U.S. Department of State Science Envoy for Space. Her SpaceX Inspiration4 spacesuit is currently on display at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.

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The Right Honourable Julie Payette is a Canadian astronaut, engineer and diplomat. She was the Governor General of Canada from 2017 to 2021.

As an astronaut, Ms. Payette flew two missions in space in 1999 and 2009 for the construction the International Space Station. She holds a commercial pilot license and military wings from the Royal Canadian Air Force. Ms. Payette worked as crew liaison officer in Russia and Europe and served many years as CAPCOM (Capsule Communicator) at NASA’s Mission Control Center in Houston, Texas. She was Chief Astronaut for the Canadian Space Agency from 2000 to 2007.

After retiring from the Astronaut office, she worked as a scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington DC and later as Director of the Montreal Science Centre.

Ms. Payette has served on the board of several public and non-profit organisations, contributing to the development of public policies in education, high-performance sport, and science and technology. She remains active in aerospace as technical advisor and speaker. She is an Academician and Trustee of the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA), a Senior Fellow at Massey College of the University of Toronto and President of the Association of Space Explorers (ASE).

Ms. Payette can converse in six languages and has a passion for sports and music. She currently sings with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra choir and during the winter, she volunteers as a ski patrol.

She is a Knight of the National Order of Quebec and a Companion of the Order of Canada.

André Kuipers is an ESA astronaut and one of Europe’s most experienced spacefarers. Born on October 5, 1958, in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, he has flown two missions to the International Space Station, spending a total of 204 days in space.

Kuipers holds a Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Amsterdam and began his career in aerospace medicine, specializing in the physiological effects of high acceleration and microgravity. His research focused on human adaptation to spaceflight, equilibrium systems, and pilot health under extreme conditions, work he conducted at the Academic Medical Centre in Amsterdam and the Netherlands Aerospace Medical Centre.

He joined the European Space Agency’s Astronaut Corps in 1999 and completed ESA’s Basic Astronaut Training Programme in 2002. His first space mission, ESA’s DELTA mission in 2004, included a 12-day stay aboard the ISS, during which he conducted more than 20 scientific experiments. His second mission, PromISSe (2011–2012), was a long-duration expedition lasting nearly six months, during which he contributed to approximately 50 experiments and supported critical docking operations, including ESA’s Automated Transfer Vehicle and SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft.

Since returning to Earth, André Kuipers has remained deeply engaged in space outreach, education, and sustainability efforts. He is a passionate advocate for science and technology education and has served as an ambassador for numerous environmental and educational initiatives. In recognition of his contributions, he has received multiple honors, including Officer in the Order of Orange-Nassau.

Dr. John Wensveen is the President of the International Space University (ISU) in Strasbourg, France, leading the premier global institution dedicated to space education, innovation, and international collaboration. Under his leadership, ISU is expanding its role as a catalyst for groundbreaking research and strategic partnerships that shape the future of space exploration.

Prior to ISU, John served as Chief Innovation Officer at Nova Southeastern University (NSU), where he spearheaded a multimillion-dollar innovation hub that attracted top entrepreneurs, cutting-edge technologies, and major investments. He has held leadership roles in academia, including Vice Provost at Miami Dade College, Professor and Head of the School of Aviation at Purdue University, and Dean of Aviation at Dowling College.

John’s industry expertise spans aviation, aerospace, and business strategy, with executive roles at Mango Aviation Partners, Radixx International, MAXjet Airways, and Canada 3000 Airlines. He is a TEDx speaker, media contributor, and author of two leading industry books, including the best-seller Air Transportation: A Global Management Perspective.

John holds a Ph.D. and master’s degrees from Cardiff University (UK) and a B.A. from the University of Victoria (Canada).

InApril 2022, Eytan Stibbe participated in the historic Ax-1 mission to theInternational Space Station alongside Michael López-Alegría, Larry Connor, andMark Pathy. In preparation for the mission, he initiated the Rakia Mission, acollaborative effort between Israel’s public and private sectors—includingeducators, students, scientists, and artists—with the vision that space is forall. Rakia was the first space mission to incorporate impact measurement acrossall its activities.

Followinghis return, Eytan established Rakia as a public benefit company dedicated toadvancing Israel’s space sector through international and local partnerships,with a particular focus on human spaceflight.

Withover 30 years of experience in impact investment, Eytan is a founding partnerat Vital Capital, an investment firm active in developing countries. His workspans sectors such as education, healthcare, infrastructure, and communitydevelopment, guided by the principles of humanitarian impact and financialsustainability.

In2025, Eytan was appointed Chancellor of the International Space University,recognized for his contributions as an astronaut, entrepreneur, and advocatefor space accessibility.

Helives in Israel, is a member of the World Economic Forum, and serves on theboards of several universities and NGOs. He continues to support the mission ofthe Israel Space Forum and the growth of Israel’s space ecosystem.

Charles F. Bolden Jr. charted a pioneering career in the U.S. Marine Corps and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).  He flew over 100 combat missions in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, and orbited the Earth on four separate occasions as a NASA Space Shuttle pilot and commander. In 2009, President Barack Obama asked Bolden to serve as the 12th Administrator of NASA. He was the first African American confirmed by the US Senate to take on the role, a precedent that Bolden insists is only important if he is one day followed by women or persons of color.  With a focus on the future, he tells his audiences that he is just an ordinary person who has been blessed with opportunities to do extraordinary things as he challenges them to consider what can be accomplished when people dream big dreams together.

ANASA veteran who flew on all three Space Shuttles, Garrett Reisman was selected by NASA as a mission specialist astronaut in 1998. His first mission in 2008was aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour which dropped him off for a 95 day stay aboard the International Space Station after which he returned to Earth aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery. His second mission in 2010 was aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis. During these missions, Garrett performed 3 space walks, operated the Space Station Robot Arm and was a flight engineer aboard the Space Shuttle.  Not only was he an astronaut, but Garrett was also an aquanaut serving as a crew member on NEEMO V, living on the bottom of the sea in the Aquarius deep underwater habitat for 2 weeks.

After leaving NASA in early 2011, he joined SpaceX where he served in multiple capacities, most recently as the Director of Space Operations. 

Garrett stepped down from his full-time position at SpaceX in May of 2018 and in June 2018 he became a Professor of Astronautical Engineering in the Viterbi School at USC.  He continued to support SpaceX as a Senior Advisor until 2024. Today Garrett continues to contribute to the commercial space sector by working as an Astronaut Advisor at VAST.

Garrett attended the University of Pennsylvania and Caltech where he received his Ph.D in 1997.

Randy “Komrade” Bresnik was selected as an astronaut in 2004. He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps in May 1989.  During his military career, he attended the Marine Corps Weapons and Tactics Instructors Course (WTI) and Naval Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN). After attending U.S. Naval Test Pilot’s School he became an F/A-18 Test Pilot and was eventually deployed to  Kuwait to fly combat missions in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. A veteran of Space Shuttle mission STS-129, he has also trained as a  Cave-a-naut with the European Space Agency to test living deep beneath the Earth’s surface as well as an Aqua-naut for NASA’s Extreme Environment Mission Operation (NEEMO) 19.  In space, Bresnik most recently served  as the Commander of the International Space Station for Expedition 53 and  flight engineer for Expedition 52. He has more than 32 hours of Spacewalk experience over the course of 5 EVAs. A retired Colonel in  the United States Marine Corps, he has logged more than 7,000 hours in 91 types of aircraft/rotorcraft/gliders and an additional 3,600 hours in spacecraft. He is a Fellow of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots (SETP).Currently, he serves as the Assistant-to-the-Chief of  the Astronaut Office for Exploration managing the development and testing of everything that will operate beyond low earth orbit on Artemis missions.

Michael López-Alegría is a decorated astronaut who returned to low-Earth orbit for the sixth time in 2024 as commander of Axiom Mission 3. He also commanded Axiom Space’s first private astronaut mission to the International Space Station in2022.

He has more than 40 years of aviation & space experience with the U.S. Navy &NASA in a variety of roles including Naval Aviator, engineering test pilot& program manager, NASA astronaut, & International Space Station commander. He also holds NASA records for most extravehicular activities or ”spacewalks” (10). He was inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame in2021.

He earned a B.S. in systems engineering at the U.S. Naval Academy & an M.S. in aeronautical engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School.

Mark Pathy is an entrepreneur, investor and philanthropist as well as a Mission Specialist on Axiom Space’s Ax-1 mission. Pathy is currently the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Montreal-based MAVRIK, a privately-owned investment and financing company he founded that focuses on innovation and social impact. As a strong believer in the importance of philanthropy, Pathy is a member of the boards and Executive Committees of the Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation, Dans La Rue and the Pathy Family Foundation.

Prior to founding MAVRIK, Pathy was President and CEO of Fednav International Ltd., an international dry-bulk shipping company, and co-CEO of its parent company Fednav Limited. He remains a member of the group’s Board of Directors. Additionally, Pathy is the Chairman of the Board of publicly traded leading music, media, and technology company Stingray Group Inc., a position he has held since November 2017 after initially joining the Board in 2015.

Through the Ax-1 mission, Pathy will become Canada’s 2nd private astronaut and the 12th Canadian to go to space. Pathy obtained an Honours Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto and a Masters in Business Administration from INSEAD. He continues to reside in Canada with his wife and three children.

Elad Sagi has over three decades of experience in the space industry. He worked as a systems engineer for communication satellites and a chief systems engineer for remote sensing satellites including synthetic aperture, hyperspectral, and a lunar mission - SPACEIL.

Elad contributed to the establishment of the Tel Aviv Nano Satellites Center, which built TAUSAT 1&2, and the TEVEL program, which built and launched 17 satellites in various high schools across Israel.

Currently, he serves as a senior technology advisor to the Israeli Space Agency. He also provides advisory services to numerous space companies, both within Israel and internationally

Simon Peter “Pete” Worden, (Brig Gen, USAF, Ret, PhD) is the Chairman of the Breakthrough Prize Foundation and Executive Director of the foundation’s ‘Breakthrough Initiatives’. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics and Astronomy from the University of Michigan and a PhD in Astronomy from the University of Arizona. Prior to joining the Breakthrough Prize Foundation, Dr. Worden was Director of NASA’s Ames Research Center until retiring on March 31, 2015. He held several positions in the United States Air Force and was research professor of astronomy at the University of Arizona. Dr. Worden has authored or co-authored over 150 scientific papers. On July 20, 2015 at the Royal Society in London, UK, Yuri Milner and Stephen Hawking launched the Breakthrough Initiatives. At the press conference, Dr. Worden was introduced as the Chairman for the Breakthrough Prize Foundation. In this capacity he also leads the Breakthrough Initiatives as its Executive Director. From 2017 to the present, Brigadier General Worden has been an Advisor to the Luxembourg Space Agency and was appointed as a Knight-Commander of the Order of Merit of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg in 2018 for his space services.

Jeffrey Manber is recognized as a leading pioneer in the international commercial space community. Currently, he serves as the Senior Representative to the Chairman of Voyager Technologies. He also serves as Chairman of the Board for Nanoracks (since acquired by Voyager.) Jeffrey also leads the Voyager Science Park initiative, VISTA.

Jeffrey is the Co-Founder of Nanoracks. He served as the Chief Executive Officer from 2009 until 2021 where he broke barriers for access to space and oversaw the growth of the company into the largest commercial user of the ISS.

As the only American to ever work officially for the Russian space program, Mr. Manber served as Managing Director of Energia USA, the American arm of RSC Energia. As CEO of the Dutch company MirCorp, he leased the Russian space station “Mir” and oversaw the first ever commercially funded70-day crewed mission. His experience developing the business base for Mir and the International Space Station, helping pave the way for thriving LEO market economy.

Jeffrey is the author of five books and the recipient of numerous industry awards. In 2023, Jeffrey was awarded NASA’s highest award, the Distinguished Public Achievement Medal. Most recently he was inducted into the IAF International Hall of Fame.