Orbex Hire Andy Bradford as CTO

16th Jan 2025
Orbex Hire Andy Bradford as CTO

UK and Denmark based rocketeers Orbex announced on 16th January that Andy Bradford will be joining them as the new Chief Technology Officer. Andy has over 20 years of experience in the space industry, including 10 years in various roles with Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. He has also been CEO of UK Launch Services Ltd., which has worked closely with Orbex since 2017.

The appointment comes as Orbex prepares to launch for the first time ever in 2025, and after publicly announcing its sharpening focus on rockets after putting the Sutherland spaceport development on ice in December 2024.

Andy Bradford said: “Since 2017, in my role as CEO of UKLSL, I’ve worked closely with Orbex to help define and shape the UK’s vertical launch capabilities, and I’m excited to join the company permanently at such a crucial time in its journey, allowing me to fulfil a personal ambition of playing a key role in enabling the first launch of a UK built launch vehicle from UK soil. Orbex’s technology is pivotal in making the UK a hub for European orbital launch and I look forward to bringing my experience to a launch vehicle which will compete with the best of Europe’s spaceflight companies.”

Phil Chambers, CEO of Orbex, commented: “We are thrilled to welcome Andy to the Orbex team. He will play a key role in the final development and delivery of Orbex Prime. Andy’s extensive expertise and visionary approach to technology will be invaluable as we prepare for our first launch this year.”

Bradford’s experience also includes operating as Programme and Technical Director at SSTL, a major UK satellite manufacturer. He is also the current Vice-Chair of the UKSpace Launch Committee (ULC), is a member of the UK Spaceflight Safety and Regulatory Council (SSRC) and a member of the Earth & Space Sustainability Initiative (ESSI) Advisory Board.

Leave a Reply Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

Related Articles

Explore Orbital Today