Former Director of the U.S. Office of Space Commerce Joins NorthStar’s U.S. Company.
This announcement from NorthStar Earth & Space Inc. was released on December 15, 2021
NorthStar Earth & Space Systems Appoints Kevin O’Connell as Chair of U.S. Advisory Board
PARIS, FRANCE, DECEMBER 15, 2021 – NorthStar Earth & Space Systems, Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of parent NorthStar Earth & Space, Inc. of Montreal, Canada, announced today that Kevin O’Connell, former Director, Office of Space Commerce at the U.S. Department of Commerce, has joined as Chairman of the NorthStar U.S. company Advisory Board.
NorthStar established its American headquarters in McLean, Virginia in early 2019 to address U.S. government and industry stakeholder focus on space situational awareness, space domain awareness, and space traffic management. NorthStar’s U.S. activities are intended to deliver decision quality information services, globally branded as Space Information & Intelligence (SI2), that leverage space-based object detection, proprietary algorithms, and fusion of third-party data. NorthStar’s U.S. operations tailor solutions to meet the unique requirements facing all satellite operators in their quest for actionable information that contributes to space flight safety and sustainability.
The announcement was made by NorthStar’s CEO and Founder Stewart Bain at the 2021 Euroconsult World Satellite Business Week event in Paris, France. “NorthStar is honoured to announce that Kevin O’Connell has joined NorthStar as the Chairman of the Advisory Board that supports our U.S. company”, said Bain. “Kevin brings to NorthStar rich insight into U.S. government policy, plans, and requirements within the important context of American commercial space activities. We welcome his leadership and guidance to best serve the diverse requirements of the American space market,” noted Bain.
While Director of the Office of Space Commerce, Mr. O’Connell led U.S. Commerce Department efforts to implement a series of government Space Policy Directives, most notably the one which articulates the changing nature of responsibilities between military and civil authorities in the areas of space situational awareness and space traffic management.
“NorthStar is poised to leverage the many advantages of space-based satellite and debris detection and integrate with other valuable third-party data to deliver a suite of timely, relevant and predictive space safety information services,” said Mr. O’Connell. He added, “NorthStar aims to improve the quantity and quality of information available to the U.S. government and the commercial space industry to enhance overall awareness of the space environment and safety of spaceflight.”
Since establishing U.S. operations in 2019, NorthStar has demonstrated its suite of SI2 services in multiple venues including a series of U.S. Departments of Defense and Commerce co-sponsored Sprint Advanced Concept Training (SACT) Civil-Commercial exercises.
“Kevin’s former role leading the Office of Space Commerce will help NorthStar craft highly informed solutions that address the unique requirements of U.S. military, intelligence community, civil space and industry stakeholders,” said Denny Brisley, NorthStar’s U.S. President and Chief Operating Officer. She added, “We welcome Kevin’s exceptional insight and strategic guidance as we strive to meet and exceed customer expectations.”
About NorthStar
NorthStar seeks to empower humanity to preserve our planet through a unique Space and Earth information & intelligence platform using space-based sensors. NorthStar strives to help transform the way governments, industry and institutions assess risk, address regulations and make decisions to foster the sustainable development of our planet and deliver a safe and secure near-Earth environment.
NorthStar’s unique suite of Space Information & Intelligence (SI2) services address many of the critical and immediate challenges facing government and commercial space stakeholders. With a comprehensive view of all near-Earth orbits, NorthStar’s Skylark satellites will deliver more frequent and precise observations of resident space objects than any current commercial system. The company’s Skylark solution will generate decision-quality Si2 services derived from its unparalleled space-based coverage, object custody, and enhanced predictive analytics.
NorthStar’s investors comprise a global coalition of strategic partners, including Telesystem Space (a co-enterprise of the Sirois family office, Telesystem and the Roger’s Family Trust of Canada), the Space Alliance (Thales Alenia Space and Telespazio) of Europe, the Government of Quebec and the Government of Canada. NorthStar Earth & Space (NorthStar) head offices are located in Montréal, Canada and its U.S. subsidiary, NorthStar Earth & Space Systems, Inc. is headquartered in McLean, Virginia.
Media Contacts:
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