Experiencing the constraints of launch, Atomos’ co-founding team started Atomos with the vision to make any orbit as accessible as LEO.
Atomos Space is building the future of orbital logistics, providing “last mile” transportation services for satellite operators. Our orbital transfer vehicles (OTVs) change the rocket equation – enabling impossible missions, providing unprecedented maneuverability, maintaining a sustainable orbital environment, and reducing the
cost for satellite operators to get to their place in space.
Underpinning Atomos’ service offerings are the technology pillars of the future in-space economy – ubiquitous and scalable spacecraft rendezvous capabilities, and break-through in-space propulsion.
Vanessa is an experienced aerospace engineer with expertise ranging from advanced concepts to hardware development and production, with emphasis on in-space propulsion and space nuclear power systems. Vanessa co-founded Atomos with the goal to remove the barriers to accessing space that she experienced in her roles both as a launch vehicle designer and spacecraft developer and operator. In particular, she is passionate about promoting sustainable space utilization and realizing next-generation space power and propulsion technologies that will enable humans to access space beyond Earth orbit.
When not herding her team or toddler, Vanessa is a fitness enthusiast and somehow finds time to read a full book per week.
Aside from running day-to-day corporate operations, William directs regulatory strategy, national security business development, and program financial planning. In 2018, William led the effort for Atomos’ participation in a government-sponsored study on space nuclear regulation that ultimately led to the Memorandum on the National Strategy for Space Nuclear Power and Propulsion (Space Policy Directive-6, 2020). Outside of Atomos Space, William is the Co-Chair of the Policy Working Group for Consortium for Execution of Rendezvous and Servicing Operations (CONFERS) and a reviewer for the Colorado Advanced Industries Grant for Aerospace.
Prior to co-founding Atomos Space in late 2017, William led investment due diligence for a wealth management team in Colorado. His responsibilities also included cash flow and tax planning, risk management, and competitive analysis. The team, collectivity, managed over $500M in assets.
Scott has serious rendezvous chops. He joined Atomos as the Guidance, Navigation and Control (GNC) lead in 2019 and became the Atomos Chief Engineer in 2022. As Chief Engineer, he directs our engineering efforts, is the technical authority for our orbital transfer vehicles, and moving us as fast and far as possible by taking smart technical risks. Scott has 20 years’ experience with space programs, primarily in the fields of flight software and GNC. He led development of the integrated GNC design and analysis for SpaceX’s Cargo Dragon capsule for NASA’s COTS program, developing the navigation algorithms and designing the rendezvous approach that allowed SpaceX to be the first private company to berth with the International Space Station.
