Gilmour Space Technologies has appointed two space veterans to the company's advisory board as the firm prepares to enter the global small launch market in 2020.

U.S.A.F. Colonel
Pamela Melroy.

Colonel Pamela Melroy is a retired colonel of the U.S. Air Force, a test pilot and ex-NASA astronaut and Space Shuttle commander. She has held senior roles in the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), and in various defense companies in the US and Australia.

Professor Dava Newman.

Professor Dava Newman is the former deputy administrator of NASA and current Apollo Program Professor of Aeronautics & Astronautics and Engineering Systems at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She has been a key proponent of NASA's human Journey to Mars and is a renowned inventor, mentor and engineer.

Executive Comments

Gilmour Space Technologies CEO and Founder, Adam Gilmour, said that the firm is proud to welcome Professor Dava Newman and Colonel Pamela Melroy as senior advisors to the board. Dava and Pamela have had incredible careers in space. Their deep knowledge and experience across civil, defense and commercial space activities — and their openness to new technologies and innovation —- will be invaluable to the team as we grow our launch capabilities and develop frontier technologies in space," said Mr Gilmour. 

Colonel Melroy added that she believes the firm's hybrid rocket technology is poised to make a substantial contribution to the low-cost launch market, spurring on the New Space revolution.  

Professor Newman noted that the crossroads in commercial space has been reached, with the advent of new small launch vehicles. Gilmour Space has demonstrated significant advances in their propulsion technology and she looks forward to seeing more innovative engineering from this promising Australian rocket company.