GOVERNANCE
Limitless Space Institute (LSI) is a non-profit corporation governed by a Board of Directors with day to day operations led by a President with each having decades of leadership experience in industry and government human space flight operations, research and development, and space policy. An Advisory Board made up of government and industry luminaries with decades of experience provides counsel as well as policy and programmatic recommendations to LSI. A Technical Advisory Committee made up of eminent physicists, educators, and innovators reports to and advises the Director of Advanced Research and Development. Regular independent financial and peer-reviewed audits provide accountability to the institutes funders and stakeholders.
LEADERSHIP
LSI Leadership Team is composed of the President and Director of Advanced Research and Development. The President manages, directs, and leads day to day efforts of the Institute. The President establishes priorities, determines distribution of resources and work efforts, identifies Advisory Board members, and reports to the Board of Directors. The Director of Advanced Research and Development leads all research and development work for the Institute, identifies and leads a Technical Advisory Committee and reports to the President.
Board of Directors
The Institute’s Board of Directors set strategic direction, approve strategic plans, operating plans, and budgets and has full and comprehensive fiduciary responsibility for LSI. The Board of Directors is the final authority on all matters related to the general structure, accountability and investment strategy for the institute.
Brian K Kelly
Brian Kelly retired from NASA in February 2019 after a career of over 37 years. As Director, Flight Operations at NASA’s Johnson Space Center (JSC) he directed a diverse civil service, military, and contractor workforce of over 2400 employees and a total annual budget of $500m. He was responsible for selecting and assigning NASA astronauts and planning, training, and flying human spaceflight and aviation missions. He directed the Astronaut Office, Mission Control, Aircraft Operations and Aviation Safety at NASA JSC. Over his career he supported 110 shuttle missions, 58 International Space Station Expeditions, 40 shuttle launches, and 35 Soyuz Launches as well as return to flight efforts following the Challenger and Columbia accidents. He selected 12 new astronaut candidates from over 18,000 applicants and selected the first female Chief Flight Director and 11 new Flight Directors for Mission Control Operations. While Director of Flight Operations he was responsible for 35 EVAs (space walks), 15 International Space Station Expeditions, over 2.5 million mission control commands to the International Space Station, and the assignment of 33 astronauts to Expedition and Commercial Crew Flight Test missions. He directed over 13,000 flight hours composed of 18,000 sorties in 32 different aircraft. He personally has flown over 250 flight hours in T-38N super-sonic jet training aircraft and over 63,000 feet in WB-57 high altitude research aircraft.
Kam Ghaffarian
Dr. Kam Ghaffarian is a visionary entrepreneur dedicated to creating companies that focus on operating with the highest integrity, promoting employee well-being, and delivering the best technical solutions to customers. Kam co-founded Axiom Space in 2016 to advance the commercial utilization of space eventually leading to the design, manufacture, launch and operation of a commercial space station. Kam started his entrepreneurial career in 1994 by founding Stinger Ghaffarian Technologies, Inc. (SGT), a government services company focusing on Engineering, IT, Science Applications, and Mission Operations. SGT has become NASA’s second largest engineering services provider, employing over 2,400 people and generating annual revenues of approximates $500M. Prior to SGT, Kam held numerous technical and management positions at Lockheed Martin, Ford Aerospace, and Loral, among others. Dr. Ghaffarian holds a B.S. in Computer Science, a B.S. in Electronics Engineering, a M.Sc. in Information Management, and a Ph.D in Management Information Systems.
Board of Advisors
The Board of Advisors is an integral oversight body that assists the Board of Directors, provides recommendations and advises the LSI President on strategic and tactical plans and investment strategy ensuring objectivity and high standards of excellence.
Technical advisory committee
The Technical Advisory Committee is a technical oversight body that provides independent counsel to the LSI Director of Advanced Research and Development on technical matters, research priorities, and laboratory activities.