William J. Pomerantz Email Address

Vice President, Special Projects

Virgin Orbit will provide dedicated, responsive, and affordable launch services for small satellites. Founded by Sir Richard Branson and owned by the Virgin Group and Aabar Investments PJS, Virgin Orbit and its sister companies--Virgin Galactic and The Spaceship Company--are opening access to space to change the world for good. To launch the small satellite revolution, Virgin Orbit is developing LauncherOne, a flexible launch service for commercial and government-built satellites. LauncherOne rockets are designed and manufactured in Long Beach, California, and will be air-launched from a dedicated 747-400 carrier aircraft capable of operating from many locations in order to best serve each customer's needs. Virgin Orbit's systems are currently in an advanced stage of testing, with initial orbital launches expected soon. To learn more or to apply to join Virgin Orbit's talented and growing team, visit virginorbit.com.

At work: I am Vice President for Special Projects at Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic, the world's first spaceline. I help extend Virgin Galactic's efforts beyond space tourism, developing efforts such as the LauncherOne small satellite launch vehicle and the use of SpaceShipTwo as a research platform. Outside of work: I am the Chairman of the Board of Advisors of SEDS-USA, the world's largest student space organization, and a Co-Founder of the Brooke Owens Fellowship Program, a one-of-a-kind work experience, leadership training, and mentorship program for women in aviation and aerospace. I'm also a member of the Editorial Board of ROOM, a Space Journal; an adviser at Waypaver Labs, a nonprofit dedicated to pushing the boundaries of human exploration; and a member of the Professional Development Committee of Women in Aerospace. In addition to countless presentations I've given on behalf of my employers, I've given a TEDx talk explaining why humans explore space. I live in Southern California with my wife, L. Diana Trujillo, an engineer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and our son. In the past: Will is a graduate of Harvard, the NASA Academy, and the International Space University. From 2005 - 2011, I worked at the XPRIZE Foundation, serving as the primary author and manager of the $30 million Google Lunar XPRIZE and the $2 million Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander XCHALLENGE. I've also worked at Brown University, the Futron Corporation, and the United Nations, among others. I was the co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of SpaceAlumni.com, an early social network for space professionals. I am proud to have served the National Academies on a Federal Advisory Committee producing a report called "Building a Better NASA Workforce: Meeting the Workforce Needs for the National Vision for Space Exploration," and the Federal Aviation Administration on its Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee.