Joseph Padavano

Joseph Padavano has over 30 years of experience in the aerospace industry. Joseph started their career at Hughes Aircraft Company as a Section Head from 1980 to 1987. Joseph then joined Orbital Sciences Corporation as a Program Manager, where they managed the development and successful launches of the Taurus launch vehicle. Joseph also served as the Chief Engineer for the Transfer Orbit Stage and as the Program Manager for the Mars Ascent Vehicle Phase I effort.

In 2000, Joseph founded Delta Velocity Corporation, a small aerospace consulting firm. Joseph served as the Owner and President of the company until 2008 when it was sold to ARES Corporation. At Delta Velocity, Joseph developed low-cost fabrication methods for composite primary structures for space launch systems and led the payload accommodations effort for the QuickReach small launch vehicle.

After the acquisition, Joseph continued their work with ARES Corporation as the Vice President and Chief Engineer from 2008 to 2015. In this role, they were responsible for leading various space system projects, including launch, low earth orbit, and geosynchronous systems. Joseph also provided SETA (Systems Engineering and Technical Assistance) support for DARPA's launch vehicle development program and served as the technical lead for multiple space system proposals.

In 2015, Joseph joined Los Alamos Technical Associates as the Vice President and Chief Engineer for Advanced Projects. Joseph held this position until 2016 when they returned to ARES Corporation as the Vice President and Chief Engineer. Throughout their career, Joseph has demonstrated expertise in system architecture, technical leadership, proposal development, and program management within the aerospace industry.

Joseph Padavano attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology from 1976 to 1980. Joseph obtained their SB degree in Aero/Astro.