Anderson Will Succeed Mark Sirangelo, Who Continues As Chairman
Emeritus
The Commercial Spaceflight Federation, representing 37 companies
employing thousands of Americans nationwide, has selected its next
Chairman of the Board. Eric C. Anderson, who holds the position of
chairman of Space Adventures, Ltd, was elected by a diverse
cross-section of industry leaders at a recent board meeting.
Anderson succeeds Mark Sirangelo of Sierra Nevada Space Systems,
who has completed his appointed term as Federation Chairman. Mr.
Sirangelo will continue on as an officer and board member of the
Federation as Chairman Emeritus.
Anderson, who currently serves on the executive committee of the
Commercial Spaceflight Federation, is a leader in the commercial
human spaceflight industry, having co-founded Space Adventures in
1998 and currently serving as the company's chairman. In the course
of the company's history, Anderson has sold more than $250 million
(USD) in spaceflights. Space Adventures has facilitated the
missions of all the self-funded private space explorers, including
Dennis Tito, Mark Shuttleworth, Gregory Olsen, Anousheh Ansari,
Charles Simonyi, Richard Garriott and Guy Laliberté. Space
Adventures has received worldwide media attention, including a
recent front-page story in The New York Times on its future plans
for orbital spaceflight.
Anderson has been honored by the World Economic Forum by being
selected as a member of the Forum of Young Global Leaders. Anderson
has also been honored as a recipient of Ernst & Young's
Entrepreneur Of The Year award for the Washington D.C. region, the
world's most prestigious business award for entrepreneurs. Anderson
serves as an active board member of the X PRIZE Foundation and
graduated from the University of Virginia with a degree in
aerospace engineering.
Mark Sirangelo of Sierra Nevada Corporation Space Systems,
having completed his appointed term as Federation Chairman,
welcomed his replacement, stating, "Eric is a terrific selection to
lead this industry at this pivotal time. His experience as a
business leader, his background in aerospace engineering, his
knowledge of political and regulatory issues, and his ability to
communicate the job-creating potential of commercial spaceflight
will propel this industry forwards."
The other Commercial Spaceflight Federation officers are: Jeff
Greason, CEO of XCOR Aerospace; Gwynne Shotwell, President of
SpaceX; George Whitesides, CEO of Virgin Galactic; and Stuart O.
Witt, General Manager of the Mojave Spaceport.
Anderson commented, "I am incredibly honored to be selected as
the new Chairman of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation," said
Anderson. "This industry is creating jobs, keeping America
competitive, and hopefully is inspiring a new generation of young
people who will pursue science and technology careers. It will be a
privilege to lead this group as we progress into a new era of space
exploration. I'm looking forward to working with the rest of the
board and with the Commercial Spaceflight Federation staff as we
continue expanding the commercial space industry."
Eric C. Anderson has been considered a leader in the development
of commercial human spaceflight and the space tourism industry
since its inception. Anderson's vision is to open the space
frontier to all private citizens which will then enable the
procurement and development of space-based resources for the
benefit of humanity. Anderson co-founded Space Adventures in 1998
and serves as the company's Chairman. He also is the President of
Intentional Software Corporation, a company founded by former
Microsoft Chief Architect and two-time space tourist Charles
Simonyi.
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