Stratolaunch Welcomes Former NASA Administrator Dan Goldin and Former Boeing Executive Kamiar Karimi to its Board of Directors
Stratolaunch today announced that the Honorable Daniel Goldin, longest tenured National Aeronautics and Space Administration (“NASA”) Administrator, and Dr. Kamiar Karimi, former Senior Technical Fellow at the Boeing Company (“Boeing”), have joined its Board of Directors.
“Dan and Kamiar are visionary leaders and we are honored to welcome them to our Board,” said Dr. Zachary Krevor, President of Stratolaunch. “They each have accomplished careers transforming the aerospace industry with modernized technologies. We are very excited to have their strategic counsel and oversight as we advance hypersonic testing by making it more accessible and affordable.”
Mr. Goldin commented: “The Talon-A will be a powerful disruptor in the field of hypersonics by providing routine, cost-effective access to data in true flight environments. Stratolaunch has the potential to reshape the understanding and use of hypersonic technologies, which is imperative for innovation and national security.”
Dr. Karimi added: “Stratolaunch’s dynamic approach and significant infrastructure can provide the most efficient path from research to implementation for hypersonic flight testing. I am excited to join the Board and support its world-class team of engineers as they enable greater hypersonic research and development capabilities.”
Stratolaunch recently completed the Critical Design Review for its Talon-A hypersonic test vehicles. This achievement is in line with Stratolaunch’s timeline to begin hypersonic flight testing in 2022 and deliver services to government and commercial customers by 2023. Launched from Stratolaunch’s Roc carrier aircraft, the Talon-A vehicles are rocket-propelled, autonomous, reusable testbeds carrying customizable payloads at speeds above Mach 5. This capability enables routine access to the hypersonic flight environment, which is critical for scientific research, technological development, and component demonstration.
About Dan Goldin
Mr. Goldin has the distinction of serving as NASA’s longest tenured Administrator from April 1992 to November 2001 and reported directly to three U.S. Presidents: George H.W. Bush, William Jefferson Clinton, and George W. Bush.
Prior to NASA, he was Vice President and General Manager of the TRW Space and Technology Group, now Northrop Grumman, where he oversaw a broad range of advanced space and technology developments focused on America’s national security, scientific exploration of the solar system, and universe and development of commercial products for the global marketplace. Mr. Goldin began his career as a research scientist at NASA’s Glenn Research Center working on electric propulsion systems to enable future human interplanetary travel.
Mr. Goldin is a Member of the National Academy of Engineering and International Academy of Astronautics. He is a Distinguished Fellow at the Council on Competitiveness, a Fellow of the American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics, and a Fellow of the American Astronautical Society.
About Dr. Kamiar Karimi
Dr. Karimi is a former Senior Technical Fellow with Boeing, where he was responsible for the development and optimization of airplane systems and worked on complex projects related to commercial aircraft electrical and energy management systems. He was also instrumental in the development of new technologies for the 787’s “more electric” architecture, many of which were used for the first time in the aviation industry. From 2008 to 2011, Dr. Karimi was named Chief Engineer of the 787 Electrical Power Systems and led the engineering team that successfully took the 787 through the rigorous Federal Aviation Administration certification process. Dr. Karimi began his career in aerospace as a lead of electric power system analysis working on the International Space Station.
Dr. Karimi also has led research projects related to aircraft architecture optimization, power conversion, energy storage, semiconductor technology, and simulation of large complex dynamical systems. He played a key role in the development of energy management architectures to optimize fuel efficiency for Boeing’s next generation of commercial airplanes.
Dr. Karimi received his B.S., Master of Engineering, and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering from Cornell University. He holds more than 42 U.S. patents for airplane systems, electric propulsion, energy management, power electronics, electric machines, control systems, energy storage, and power system architecture. He is the author of approximately 40 technical papers and has been instrumental in developing many of the industry requirements for more electric, hybrid, and all-electric airplanes.
About Stratolaunch
Stratolaunch’s mission is to advance high-speed technology through innovative design, manufacturing, and operation of world-class aerospace vehicles. For the latest news and information, visit www.stratolaunch.com and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
