Voyager Space (Voyager), a global leader in space exploration, today announced the appointment of Marshall Smith as the company’s Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and as a member of Starlab Space’s Board of Directors. Smith, who previously served as Voyager Space’s Vice President of Exploration, will lead the technical strategy for Voyager’s enterprise and guide the Starlab team through the design, development, and operations of the commercial space station.
“Voyager’s exploration, technology, and defense capabilities have grown rapidly since our founding, and Marshall has been at the forefront since joining our team,” said Dylan Taylor, CEO and Chairman, Voyager Space. “His proven experience in government and industry, and unmatched technical acumen makes him the perfect choice as Voyager’s CTO and as a Starlab Space board member.”
Prior to joining Voyager, Smith was the Senior Vice President of Commercial Space Stations at Nanoracks, now part of Voyager’s Exploration Segment, where he managed the space systems division. This division included commercial space station development, autonomous outpost platforms, and support systems including airlocks.
Most notably, Smith spent 37 years at NASA, designing and building complex, human-rated space systems including leading systems engineering and integration for SLS, Orion, and Exploration Ground Systems. He led the formulation of the Artemis and Moon to Mars plans, including NASA’s Gateway, the Human Landing System, and other future systems required for deep space exploration. Smith is the recipient of the NASA Systems Engineering Excellence of the Year Award, the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal, and the NASA Exceptional Service Medal.
“I am proud to be part of such a dedicated and driven team at Voyager Space,” said Smith. “Our capability at Voyager spans from complex space infrastructure to laser communication, solid propulsion, commercial microgravity research, and so much more. I am looking forward to working with our Voyager team to develop solutions to complex problems facing our customers, and to guiding the Starlab team into the commercial low-Earth orbit economy.”
In addition to Smith, Starlab also announced the appointment of former NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine to the Board of Directors.