Enabling Multi-Domain Space Operations

Preston Dunlap has over 20 years of executive leadership experience across technology, national security, and private investment. He is the founder of Arkenstone Ventures, serves on Boards and as Lead Independent Director of Pixxel Space Technologies, advises Fortune 100 and growth companies, private equity, venture capital, and institutions such as RAND, Stanford, and MIT and is a Senior External Advisor at Bain & Company.

He led the Defense Department’s Investment Committee strategy, analysis, and diligence for the Secretary of Defense to allocate and deploy $750B+ annually in industry sectors supporting national security, such as infrastructure, services, space, cybersecurity and software, AI, communications, transportation and logistics, ships, aircraft, vehicles, and weapons.

Mr. Dunlap started $250B+ of new programs with 4 Secretaries of Defense, including the newly unveiled B-21 bomber, Hypersonic Prompt Strike, classified space and intelligence, and Joint All-Domain Command and Control programs.

He led initiatives with the Vice President of the United States and Cabinet on the future of commercial, civil, and national security space, transformed federal Venture Capital investment, was the first Chief Technology Officer of the Space Force and Air Force with $75B of products, and served on the ground floor of successful software and infrastructure companies.

He holds a Master of Science in Operations Research and Management Science from George Mason University, a Bachelor’s degree in both Computer Science and Political Science from Duke University, and was a Harvard National Security Executive Fellow.

Mr. Dunlap is frequently cited as an authority in international media and as an expert witness for the United States Congress. His awards include the Secretary of Defense Medal for Meritorious Civilian Service, Secretary of the Air Force Medal for Meritorious Civilian Service, and Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Civilian Service.

Dr. Jun Asakawa founded Pale Blue in 2020 to develop next-generation space mobility after working as an assistant professor at the University of Tokyo Graduate School of Frontier Sciences. He has led the development of propulsion systems for Procyon Probe (world’s first deep space microsatellite), AQT-D Satellite (water propulsion system), EQUULEUS Satellite (water propulsion system) and other small satellite/spacecraft. With his expertise in propulsion systems, Dr. Asakawa has won MIT Tech Review “Innovators Under 35 Japan 2020,” IEPC “Best Paper Award,” and has been selected as Bloomberg New Economy Catalysts 2022.

Jason Kim became chief executive officer of Millennium Space Systems, a non-fully integrated Boeing subsidiary based in El Segundo, California, in December 2020. Millennium Space Systems provides alternative, relevant and affordable solutions to today’s aerospace challenges. The company designs space flight systems and develops space mission and system solutions for the U.S. Intelligence Community, Department of Defense and National Aeronautics and Space Administration, as well as commercial customers.

Kim has more than two decades of experience in executive management involving small and large satellites, unmanned aerial vehicles, mission payloads, ground systems, artificial intelligence and machine learning, data processing, command and control, launch, program management, systems engineering, prototyping, assembly and integration, and testing and operations of aerospace and defense systems.

Previous to his current position, he was the business development executive at Raytheon Intelligence & Space, where he led a team to fully develop and execute a global and domestic growth strategy. He worked to meet the growth goals of a vertically integrated, multi-billion-dollar space and command-and-control business.

From 2006 to 2019, Kim demonstrated his ability to grow companies as vice president of Strategic Planning at Millennium Space Systems and as a program manager at Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems.

Biography

From 1999 to 2006, he served as a program manager in the U.S. Air Force’s Space Superiority Systems Program and Reconnaissance Systems Program offices, where he gained a deep background in advancing autonomous systems starting on unmanned aerial vehicle programs such as the Global Hawk and Predator and growing to acquisitions and developments of first-of-its-kind classified and unclassified space and ground systems.

Kim has served on the National Defense Industrial Association board of directors and Space Enterprise Consortium formation committee and has been an active member of the National Security Space Association.

He is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering. He received a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology and a Master of Business Administration from the University of California at Los Angeles Anderson School of Management.

Karan is the Co-Founder and CEO of K2 Space. K2 Space is developing a high powered, low cost satellite bus platform that delivers the capability of exquisite satellites at the price point and speed of small satellites. Redesigned from the reaction wheel up, the K2 bus is designed to handle multiple orbits (LEO, MEO, GEO), handle multiple use cases and multi-manifest in launch vehicles like Falcon 9 – delivering 200kW of array power in a single launch. Prior to founding K2 Space, Karan helped build an artificial intelligence company – leading it from seed stage to 9-figure exit.

Before that, he spent almost 10yrs at the Boston Consulting Group, launching new businesses and leading turnaround efforts for their Fortune 500 clients. Karan studied Math and Economics at Northwestern University before getting an MBA from INSEAD.

Peter Marquez, Head of Policy for Global Security and Space, oversees global strategic programs and space policy activities for Amazon Web Services.

Peter served at the White House for the three previous Administrations. Peter was the Director for Space Policy at the National Security Council for Presidents Bush and Obama and a Senior Advisor to the National Space Council in the previous Administration. In these roles, Peter was responsible for the writing, implementation, and coordination of the U.S. national space policies. In addition, he also had responsibilities for special programs, defense intelligence, missile defense, and other strategic capabilities. Peter worked with foreign governments to; establish their own space agencies, assist in the writing of their national space policies, and create interagency processes to execute national space projects as well as development of other key strategic national security programs.

In industry, Peter was the Managing Partner of Andart Global, U.S., the Vice President of Global Engagement for Planetary Resources, and the Vice President for Strategy at Orbital Sciences Corporation. Peter served for over a decade in the Pentagon in requirements, acquisition, operations, and policy roles for the Air Force and Office of the Secretary of Defense and also served as the Director of Special Programs for the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy. Peter is a graduate of the Space Policy Institute at George Washington University, a board member of the Japan Institute for Space & Security, and a member of the Space Camp Hall of Fame.

Dr. Sandhoo is the Senior Director for Emerging Technologies and Future Architecture for the Space Sector at Northrop Grumman Corporation.
Dr. Sandhoo’ s primary focus is on leveraging emerging technologies for the conception, ideation, and development of future space missions and architectures. He joined Northrop Grumman in May 2023, and is a retired government senior executive with over three decades of experience in fielding advanced technologies, he most recently was the Deputy Director at IARPA, previously he occupied the Distinguished Visiting Professor Robert A. Heinlein Chair in Astronautics at the US Naval Academy. Before that, Dr. Sandhoo headed the Spacecraft Engineering Division and was the acting Director of the Naval Center of Space Technology (NCST) at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), where he provided executive direction and technical leadership in conducting research, development, and deployment of space systems with advanced technologies. He was also a flight controller at NASA’s Johnson Space Center and was a research & and development engineer at Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Laboratory.
An active duty and reserve veteran of the US Navy and the US Marine Corps, Dr. Sandhoo most recently served as the NRO liaison to Security Assistance Group Ukraine (SAG-U) ensuring the effective application of NRO and commercial space capabilities, tools, and solutions against the RUS-UKR crisis. As a senior scientist in the Defense Innovation Unit’s space portfolio, his focus was on operationalizing commercial space technologies for national security space. He previously commanded the Navy Reserve (NR) Tenth Fleet’s Navy Cyber Warfare Development Group, NR Naval Sea Systems Command Platform Engineering, the National Reconnaissance Office/Space and Naval Warfare Systems Commands’ Space Field Activity HQ reserve unit.
Dr. Sandhoo holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Maryland, an M.S. in Space Systems, a D.Sc. in Aeronautics, Astronautics and Propulsion from George Washington University, an M.S. in Electrical Engineering from the Johns Hopkins University, and a Master of Arts in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College. He is a 2016-2017 Fellow of the MIT Seminar XXI.
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