Speakers
Hear astronaut Dr. Nicholas Patrick of Boeing, the CTO of Airbus U.S. Space & Defense, the Chief Space Officer of Planet, and Dr. Victoria Coleman — former Chief Scientist of the U.S. Air Force — across the keynote, one industry panel, and one spotlight talk.
Friday, September 11, 2026 · Jarvis Auditorium · Free to attend
Keynote Speech
11:15 AM–11:50 AM · Jarvis Auditorium
Keynote address from Dr. Nicholas Patrick, former NASA astronaut and Vice President at Boeing.
On the agenda
Dr. Nicholas Patrick
Astronaut, Pilot & Vice President, Boeing
Former NASA astronaut who flew aboard Space Shuttle missions STS-116 and STS-130, logging more than 600 hours in space and performing three spacewalks to install the International Space Station’s Cupola. Now Boeing’s Vice President and Functional Chief Engineer for Human Factors.
Panel Discussion
12:10 PM–12:50 PM · Jarvis Auditorium
Industry leaders from Airbus, Planet, Astranis, and Azora discuss trends and opportunities across the NewSpace sector.
On the agenda
Armen Askijian
Chief Technology Officer & Head of Engineering
Airbus U.S. Space & Defense
CTO and Head of Engineering at Airbus U.S. Space & Defense, leading engineering, manufacturing, and R&D and serving as technical authority for the Arrow450 satellite platform. A UC Berkeley mechanical-engineering alum and a primary designer of the OneWeb constellation.
James Mason
Chief Space Officer
Planet Labs PBC
Chief Space Officer at Planet, leading the Space Systems division that designs, builds, and operates Planet’s Earth-imaging satellite fleet and ground-station network. A Planet founding employee and former NASA/USRA researcher.
Ryan McLinko
Chief Technology Officer
Astranis
Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Astranis, overseeing engineering architecture and spacecraft development for the company’s high-orbit communications satellites. Previously a spacecraft engineer at Planet Labs and Flight Control System Lead for the Dream Chaser test vehicle at Sierra Nevada Corporation.
Dr. Philip Mauskopf
Chief Science Officer
Azora
Founder and Chief Scientist of Azora, developing next-generation optical communications infrastructure. A UC Berkeley physics PhD who helped build NASA’s BOOMERANG experiment, now a professor at Arizona State University and director of its Cosmology Instrumentation Laboratory.
Chase Dalton
Investment Analyst, Techstars Space
Spotlight Speech — Berkeley Air & Space Center
12:50 PM–1:10 PM · Jarvis Auditorium
A featured spotlight from Dr. Victoria Coleman of the Berkeley Air & Space Center.
On the agenda
Dr. Victoria Coleman
Associate Provost, Berkeley Air & Space Center
Leads UC Berkeley’s aerospace research enterprise as Associate Provost of the Berkeley Air & Space Center and Professor of Electrical Engineering & Computer Sciences. Former Chief Scientist of the U.S. Air Force and Director of DARPA.
Register
Join 550+ students and 150+ industry professionals at UC Berkeley’s premier undergraduate aerospace event.
- When
- September 11, 2026
- 10:00 AM - 4:30 PM
- Where
- UC Berkeley
- Grimes Engineering Center
- Cost
- Free
- Open to all
Doors open today · 700-capacity venue · free
Register on EventbriteEvent details & FAQ
- Who can attend?
- All students and aerospace professionals. Registration is free for all.
- What should I bring?
- Yourself and a resume for the career fair — the rest is on us.
- Getting there
- Grimes Engineering Center, UC Berkeley. Detailed directions arrive in your confirmation email.