Richard Walker

Richard Walker has a diverse work experience in the field of mission operations and engineering. Richard has held various roles and responsibilities at different companies throughout their career. Richard started their career at Google, Inc. as a Systems Engineer from 2007 to 2010. Richard then joined Space Exploration Technologies as a Power Electronics Systems Engineer from 2010 to 2013, where they were involved in the design and testing of spacecraft solar arrays and was responsible for the power budget of the CRS Dragon. Richard later transitioned to become a Mission Operations Engineer at Space Exploration Technologies from 2013 to 2014, where they served as a Dragon Mission Director and Dragon Systems Officer 1, leading operations for multiple missions and providing systems expertise. Richard then worked at Planet Labs as a Team Lead for Satellite Operations from 2014 to 2016, overseeing the simultaneous operation of a fleet of Earth imaging cubesats and managing a team of operators and engineers. Richard then joined Zipline International Inc. as an Operations Engineer from 2016 to 2017 before moving to Astranis as a Senior Operations Engineer from 2018 to 2020. Currently, Richard is working at Capella Space as the Director of Mission Operations, where they lead the mission operations team and is responsible for the successful execution of missions. Richard also previously served as the Spacecraft Operations Lead at Capella Space. Overall, Richard has extensive experience in spacecraft operations, mission management, and systems engineering.

Richard Walker attended the University of Michigan from 2002 to 2005, where they pursued a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering. Following this, in 2006, they returned to the University of Michigan to complete a Master of Engineering degree in Space Systems Engineering.