New York Consortium for Space Technology

Mason Peck is on the Engineering faculty at Cornell University, where his research and teaching focus on Aerospace Engineering and Systems Engineering. From late 2011 through 2013, Dr. Peck was on leave serving as NASA’s Chief Technologist, one of the seven highest-ranking officials at the agency. He also has worked as a consultant in advanced technology and business development for spacecraft contractors including Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab, SpaceX, Northrop Grumman, and Lockheed Martin.

In addition to his ongoing consulting work, Dr. Peck has over 10 years’ experience in the aerospace industry, primarily at Boeing Satellite Systems (the former Hughes Space and Communications), where his responsibilities included commercial and government spacecraft systems engineering as well as mission operations for several spacecraft. At Honeywell, he served as Principal Fellow, the most senior engineering position in the company, focusing on technology strategy, new business, and special programs. Dr. Peck has 19 patents in space technology that stem from this work.

At Cornell, Dr. Peck’s areas of academic expertise include next-generation space system architectures, mission design, and GNC. Recognized for his teaching and mentorship at Cornell, he created and directed the Space Systems Design Studio, in which many students and staff collaborate on several Air Force and NASA-funded flight programs. Dr. Peck’s work with small spacecraft (three launched since 2012) has included collaborations at JPL, Draper Lab, and Lockheed, as well as academic institutions. His lab’s KickSat, launched in April 2014, is the world’s first crowdfunded spacecraft. Dr. Peck’s space technology blog at Spacecraft Lab and recent television and radio interviews have given him the opportunity to share his enthusiasm for exploration with the public.

Patrick Chase was born and raised in Rochester, NY, and has a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Rochester, with experience in political communications and field work. He studied space and astronomy as a Minor in college, and has written about the intersection of space and politics since transitioning away from full time political work. He hopes Empire Space will kick start a new age of enthusiasm and growth for space and astronomy across the state.

Empire Space is a 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to comprehensively analyzing, supporting, and promoting the entire New York space sector, with the aim of fostering economic growth, promoting research and development, and increasing academic and commercial opportunities in the space sector for New Yorkers of all backgrounds. Empire Space achieves these objectives by conducting thorough research and analysis, networking between various stakeholders to promote sector synergies, and engaging the everyday public. Our organization’s major mission milestone is to cement New York as a top-five state for space sector business. Other critical milestones for the organization’s mission within the NY space sector include enhanced research, development, and manufacturing capabilities, increased academic offerings at all levels, increased space-related transportation capabilities, and industry diversity benchmarks.