COHORT

Kall Morris Inc | Magma Space | Melagen Labs | Olfera | Quantum Qool | Raptor Dynamix |

Kall Morris Inc

Technology Title: Asteria

Technology Description: Asteria is an innovative adhesive technology that provides a versatile, non-destructive, semipermanent attachment system that enables the coupling of various types of payloads to cooperative, uncooperative, or uncontrolled orbital objects without requiring specific or preinstalled infrastructure.

Team:

Zachery Champion
Project Engineer
https://www.linkedin.com/in/zack-champion-7a652b207/

Zachery Champion oversees Asteria project development as Project Engineer and, as such, will oversee project coordination and compliance assurance on this project. He brings together both civilian and military expertise as a technical leader from his roles as an Executive Officer and a Platoon Leader in the Army National Guard as a 1LT, where he plans and oversees training for 30+ soldiers.

Adam Kall
Director of Science
https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamkall/

Adam Kall’s focus on this project will be mission design and logistics, specifically data handling. As a co-founder of KMI, Adam Kall operates as Director of Science, leading software development, information services, and technical knowledge for space systems and orbital mechanics. Adam also pioneered KMI’s advanced machine learning algorithm, TumblEye, that will support Asteria in future commercial applications.

Austin Morris
Co-Founder and Director of Engineering
https://www.linkedin.com/in/austinjmorris/

One of the KMI co-founders, Austin Morris, serves as Director of Engineering, leading design, fabrication, and assembly tasks and their related subfunctions. Together, he and his fellow cofounders, Adam Kall and Troy Morris, have built KMI from the ground up and now employ over 20 aerospace professionals from a variety of backgrounds, including the DoD, NASA, and industry. Austin has experience leading R&D projects for technologies of various complexity, from tool and product development to the development and testing of experimental flight control systems. Recently, he has been the PI for several now-completed US Space Force Phase I and II contracts focusing on Asteria and a complementary technology, REACCH. This includes prior experience leading ISS demonstration through CASIS #UA-2023-9075 “Astrobee Payload Demonstration of REACCH Capture Mechanism,” which involved establishing an exclusive commercial license agreement with USC and has seen phenomenal success aboard the ISS since docking in November of 2024. Leading up to the ISS demonstration, REACCH developments led by Austin’s team include iterative tentacle design and prototyping, fabrication of the flight unit for demonstration, implementation of sensors and controls, and collaboration with the USC team and NASA teams for float table testing, prototype progression, functionality checkouts, and certification testing.

Troy Morris
Co-Founder and CEO
https://www.linkedin.com/in/troymmorris/

Troy M. Morris, as fellow Co-Founder and CEO at KMI, will oversee contracting and compliance throughout the performance of this project, drawing from his background in Psychology/Behavior Analysis from Northern Michigan University and leadership experience at Snap-On Tools and KMI. At KMI, Troy has led the company’s growth from a bootstrapped startup to a $5M-funded space solutions provider with 20+ expert personnel and advisors.

Top

Magma Space

Technology Title: Ultra-precise spacecraft pointing with AI/MLbased control systems and magnetically levitated actuation

Technology Description: Magma Space is delivering the most precise spacecraft pointing every achieved by leveraging proprietary magnetically levitated actuators that reduce vibrations 20X, over 50 new high-precision sensors per satellite, and AI/MLinfused control software.

Team:

Alessandro Stabile
Co-Founder and CEO
https://www.linkedin.com/in/alessandrostabile/

Alessandro Stabile holds a B.Sc. in Aerospace Engineering and an M.Sc. in Astronautics from Sapienza University of Rome. He earned his Ph.D. in Space Mechanisms and Structures at the University of Surrey, where he also completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship funded by the European Space Agency (‚Ǩ2 M, 2018-2022). During his Postdoc, Alessandro led a consortium with Surrey Satellite Technology and CSEM, serving as PI and technical lead for a nine-member team that developed a high-performance vibration-isolation platform for future scientific missions such as ESA’s Athena.

Across his academic career, he has authored over ten peerr eviewed publications. His Bachelor’s thesis resulted in a novel high-efficiency propellant formulation; his Master’s work produced a high-fidelity dynamic model for carbon-fiber deployable booms in solar sails; and his doctoral research addressed vibration mitigation in reaction-wheel clusters. Inspired by the stagnation in reaction-wheel technology, Alessandro founded Magma Space after relocating to the U.S. in 2020, securing NASA SBIR funding to advance his magnetically-levitated wheel concept from theory to prototype.

Jordan Handler
Co-Founder and COO

Jordan Handler brings a unique blend of entrepreneurial drive and corporate strategy leadership to Magma Space. In business school, he co-founded Hydroprint, developing a novel microscale 3D-printing process with biocompatible materials. Under Jordan’s
leadership, Hydroprint secured endorsements from two MIT labs and won a $25K MIT Sandbox grant, honing his skills in customer discovery and team cohesion.

At Amazon, Jordan led 2022 Strategic Planning for Whole Foods Delivery and Amazon Fresh. He managed hundreds of project proposals, insisted on rigorous quantification of benefits, and convened cross-functional leadership teams to evaluate each idea. His final “Top 10” strategic recommendations and long-term vision document earned praise from senior executives as the best-written strategy plan at Amazon.

Jordan’s proven expertise in program management, datadriven decision-making, and cross-organizational coordination will be instrumental in guiding Magma’s ISS demo, customer engagements, and pathway to commercialization.

Top

Melagen Labs

Technology Title: Advanced Radiation Shielding Composite for Space Assets

Technology Description: Melagen Labs creates 3D-printable, lightweight radiation shielding materials and coatings engineered for scalable protection of electronics and systems in space and terrestrial environments.

Team:

Muhammad Hunain
CEO

Laura Johann
Radiation Effects Engineer and Principal Investigator

Hari Mahesh
Co-Founder and Business Development

James Secrest
CTO
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-jamestsecrest/

Dr. James is a multidisciplinary innovator with over 25 years of experience in biotechnology, nuclear medicine, and space technology development. He currently serves as the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Melagen Labs, where he leads the development of advanced radiation shielding materials for space and terrestrial applications. He has led pioneering efforts in radiation safety, molecular imaging, and microgravity-enabled biomanufacturing. As Co-founder and Scientific Director of BioGravity, LLC, and Director of the Americas for EXPLOR Biologics, he has advanced research into biological systems in space and developed payload platforms in partnership with the International Space Station. Previously, he served as Radiation Safety Officer at Siemens Molecular Imaging, overseeing the development and compliance of nuclear imaging agents for oncology and neurodegenerative diseases. Dr. James is also Vice President of the Interplanetary Chamber of Commerce, where he fosters global innovation in the space sector. A U.S. Navy veteran, he brings a disciplined, mission-driven approach to technology leadership. His demonstrated success in building flight-ready systems and dualuse biotech platforms makes him uniquely qualified to lead this ISS-based validation project, aligning with his expertise in radiation protection, space health, and in-orbit commercialization.

Top

Olfera

Technology Title: OChip

Technology Description: OChip is a microfluidic platform that, for the first time, enables long-term culture and functional analysis of primary human olfactory neurons from living subjects-unlocking new avenues for drug discovery in neurodegenerative diseases

Team:

Kelvin Cooper
Scientific Advisor
Parnian Lak
CEO
https://linkedin.com/in/parnianlak

Dr. Parnian Lak is the Co-founder and CEO of Olfera, where she leads the development of OChip-a proprietary microfluidic platform enabling long-term culture of primary human olfactory neurons for early-stage neurodegeneration modeling and drug discovery. Parnian’s background bridges biological chemistry and translational science to uncover disease mechanisms and accelerate drug discovery. Her leadership has earned Olfera a place in competitive programs like Berkeley SkyDeck California Life Science, and Endless Frontiers Lab, with ~$1.5M funding. Parnian is also committed to mentorship and scientific outreach. Her interdisciplinary approach and entrepreneurial drive position her to lead high-impact projects at the frontier of neuroscience and space-based research.

Zara Patel

Mike Prince
AI Lead

Renaud Renault

Top

Quantum Qool

Technology Title: Thermal Radiator Material Enhancement Through Ultrafast Laser Structuring for Plasmonic Cooling

Technology Description: Quantum Qool has developed a novel thermal management solution for space applications using ultrafast laser surface structuring. Our tech enhances the emissivity of materials used in spacecraft radiators and other complex surfaces, improving heat dissipation efficiency without the use of coatings.

Team:

Kent Campbell
Co-Founder and CEO
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kent-campbell-2931abc/

Kent Campbell, Co-founder & CEO, has the role of managing the business development, project management support, subcontractor coordination, commercialization strategy development, and administrative oversight for this project. He has 10+ years of experience in business development and project management.

As a former business development specialist for the U.S. Department of Commerce, he has been providing expertise in government contracting, technology commercialization, and market analysis for years for U.S. small and medium size companies both domestically and overseas. He has an extensive network in manufacturing, trade, defense, and supply chain industries. With strong communication, organizational, and management skills, and has a unique understanding of the space industry and potential commercial opportunities for innovative thermal solutions for Quantum Qool.

Scott Kroeker
COO
Victor Rivas
Chairman, Co-Founder, and CTO
https://www.linkedin.com/in/victor-rivas-341176207/

Principal Investigator Victor Rivas has demonstrated the effectiveness of laser structuring technology for thermal management applications, achieving up to 10x improvements in heat dissipation for materials like copper and aluminum. Mr.
Rivas has also done initial work using femtosecond lasers to enhance energy storage materials with super capacitors in 2008 under Rivas Technologies International.

Along with the Center for Electro-Optic group at University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Mr. Rivas was able to demonstrate the importance of using ultrafast lasers to increase the surface area on a super capacitor with the parameters that control the charge
that can be built up on the super capacitor itself. In addition to producing an increase in capacitance, radiative heat transfer was demonstrated.

This work led to principal investigator Victor A. Rivas to develop one of his core technologies – a patented thermal management technique (US 8,238,098 & US 8,279,579), which deploys the laser surface functionalization process used to form micronano structures on key thermal management components like current collectors, heat spreaders, heat sinks and heat pipes for terrestrial and space applications. These projects will build on that expertise and extend it to spacecraft components and
materials using our laser structuring technique.

Top

Raptor Dynamix

Technology Title: ShadowSentinel© Pathfinder

Technology Description: ShadowSentinel© showcases a nextgeneration autonomous edge-AI system that integrates RF sensing with ML, deep learning, and novel use of multivariate transformers running on GPU-powered edge hardware-culminating in an AI-agent for realtime hazard detection and situational awareness in space.

Team:

Del Christman
Vice President, AI Platform Development
https://www.linkedin.com/in/del-christman-1a6985138/

As VP AI Platform Development of Raptor Dynamix bring 40+ years’ experience in artificial intelligence and autonomy to a deep technology company committed to addressing the most complex technical challenges for defense, intelligence, scientific organizations, commercial enterprises, and related industries. As the architect of AI platforms, leads direction of our team to harnesses AI-powered solutions to overcome large-scale, dynamic challenges, improving human decisionmaking, accelerating reaction times, and advancing autonomous system awareness. Always developing with all domains, commercial and DoD in mind, to bring intelligent solutions that set the standard
for technological leadership in space systems, multi-domain mission
systems, and critical infrastructure.

Active machine learning researcher and engineer with 10 years of experience focused on multi-agent reinforcement learning, computer vision, deep learning, artificial intelligence, natural language processing, and autonomous systems. Possesses a significant mathematical and algorithmic background in multiple domains. Astrophysicist with an
extensive research background in computational physics.

USAF Academy, CO B.S., 1985 Astronautical Engineering
CO Technical University M.S, 2000 Computer Engineering
Boston University PhD, 2007 (abd) Cognitive and Neural Systems

Relevant Experience

• Retired AF command pilot w 5000+ hours/1000 hours combat experience
  30 years of experience in AI/ML techniques and procedures
• Human-computer interface SME, DARPA Service Academies Swarm Challenge AF agent
• Autonomy architect, aviation SME.
• Assistant Professor, Departments of Electrical and Computer Engineering & Computer and Cyber Sciences, US Air Force Academy (USAFA): 2007-2018.

Joel Nelson
Founder and CEO
http://www.linkedin.com/in/joelenelson

Joel Nelson is an exceptional candidate for the Orbital Edge Accelerator to lead the development and flight of a payload on the ISS. With over 25 years of experience in aerospace, defense, and space systems, Joel has a proven track record of managing complex space programs, driving innovation, and delivering mission-critical solutions. His roles at L3Harris, Sierra Nevada, and Ball Aerospace (now BAE) involved leading spacecraft/payload development, satellite operations, and advanced technology R&D, including successful launches like the SMC/AD smallsat Space Test Satellite 5. Joel’s expertise spans systems engineering, program management, and business development, with a $13.5B pipeline and $3.5B in annual orders at L3Harris. He has deep experience with DoD, NASA, DARPA, and NRO, ensuring alignment with ISS mission requirements. His entrepreneurial mindset and leadership in agile software development, AI/ML, and space domain awareness equip him to innovate compact payloads, as required by Orbital Edge. Joel’s strategic vision, demonstrated by winning space programs and transitioning technology and payloads to space, ensures efficient resource use and team collaboration. His M.S. in Space Systems Engineering and hands-on experience, like managing ESPA-class missions, make him ideal to deliver a high-impact, ISS-based payload.

Steve Novotny
Director of AI Algorithms and ML
https://www.linkedin.com/in/steven-novotny-62158457/

Expertise in machine learning and AI: Generative AI for Reinforcement Learning; Multi-Agent Deep RL for autonomous platforms; Neural network architecture design and mission planning to predict communication outages on the ISS. As the Director of AI and ML, Steve leads the development and implementation of advanced AI and ML solutions to enable mission-critical capabilities for defense, space, command and control, and critical infrastructure.

• BS (Aerospace Engineering) – U of Central Florida 1992
• M.S. (Computer Science focusing on AI, ML & autonomous systems) –
  Georgia Institute of Tech, May 2020; M.S. (Astronomy) – U of Florida 2002
• Ph.D. (Astronomy) – U of Florida 2003

Relevant Experiences

• Autonodyne LLC: Mar 2020 – Jan 25 – Director of AI and Machine
  Learning
• Department of Physics, US Air Force Academy: Nov 2007 – Mar 2019
• Top