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.

Christian Maender is a seasoned commercial space executive with over 25 years of leadership in human spaceflight, specializing in business strategy, commercialization, and in-space services.  He has established his new company, Innovian Space, which is focused on building new in-space enterprises, leveraging his expertise to drive the next generation of space commercialization.  

As a founding executive at Axiom Space, he played a pivotal role in scaling the company from a startup to an industry leader, with Axiom securing over $2.2 billion in customer contracts and raising $500 million in investment.  At Axiom, Christian led the development of new market frameworks for commercial space stations while pioneering international government partnerships for private astronaut missions. His work in in-space manufacturing and research enabled the launch of over 100 customer projects to low Earth orbit, advancing novel applications in microgravity. Previously, at NASA, he spearheaded initiatives to expand ISS commercialization, optimize research utilization, and enhance international collaboration.

Melody Korman is the Executive Director of the Israel Space Forum, and Space Mission Manager at 'Rakia Mission', leading initiatives that drive innovation and international collaboration to position Israel as a key player in the global space industry. Her work focuses on building partnerships that strengthen Israel’s space ecosystem and contribute to addressing global challenges such as climate change, healthcare, and education.

Previously, Melody served as Flight Operations Manager for Israeli astronaut Eytan Stibbe’s 'Rakia' mission to the International Space Station (ISS).

She holds a dual B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering and Geosciences from Tel Aviv University and an M.A. in Human-Computer Interaction from Reichman University. Melody is also an alumna of the International Space University and a Karman Project Fellow.

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.