New York Consortium for Space Technology

Dr. Peck is a faculty member at Cornell University specializing in Aerospace Engineering and Systems Engineering. He served as NASA’s Chief Technologist from 2011 to 2013, advising on technology strategy, prioritization, and commercialization while collaborating on space-policy initiatives such as the Asteroid Grand Challenge. During his tenure, he worked with the executive and legislative branches of the U.S. government on new technology initiatives. With expertise in space-system architectures, mission design, and GNC, his leadership spans academia, industry, and DoD, including research funded by DARPA, NASA, AFOSR, and leading aerospace contractors like SpaceX and Lockheed Martin. Peck has over 10 years of industry experience and 19 patents in space technology stemming from his work at companies such as Boeing Satellite Systems and Honeywell, where he served as Principal Fellow. At Cornell, he directs the Space Systems Design Studio, where students collaborate on Air Force and NASA-funded flight programs, launching several small spacecraft, including KickSat, the first crowdfunded spacecraft.

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.