The Foundation
The Future Space Leaders Foundation (“FSLF”) is a tax exempt 501 c 3 non-profit organization dedicated to the career development of young space and satellite industry professionals. The Foundation organizes events and raises funds for grants to deserving graduate students and young professionals. FSLF works in cooperation with other non-profits, companies and government agencies on space-related educational events. FSLF is also actively promoting the professional development of young Americans targeting careers in the academic fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math (“STEAM”).
Through its annual Future Space event, FSLF advances learning and fosters interaction among current space and satellite industry leaders with graduate students and young professionals. The Foundation made eight grant awards in 2013-2014 to outstanding American graduate students and young professionals enabling them to attend and present papers at major space-related symposia and conferences including the IAF International Astronautical Congress, SGAC Space Congress, AAS Goddard Memorial Symposium, NSC Goddard Dinner, Satellite 2014, SSPI Gala, AIAA Spotlight Awards and ISPCS.
Our Mission
To advance learning and professional enrichment of young space professionals and future leaders pursuing careers in the fields of space and satellites.
To stimulate the professional growth and enhancement of future space professionals and to foster cooperation and interaction among current leaders in the space field with graduate students and young professionals seeking to pursue careers in the fields of space and satellites.
To assist graduate students and young professionals in attending space and satellite industry conferences and events through grants covering legitimate travel and registration related expenses.
Leadership
Board of Directors
Bradley Cheetham, Advanced Space
Chairman
Brett Silcox, Astroscale U.S.
Vice Chairman
Jacki Cortese, Blue Origin
Treasurer
Lyn D. Wigbels, AAS
Awards Chair
Brett Alexander
Director
Sirisha Bandla, Outpost
Director
Patricia Cooper, Constellation Advisory, LLC
Director
Debra Facktor, AIRBUS U.S. Space & Defense, Inc.
Director
Joe Landon
Director
Aaron Lewis, Arianespace
Director
Eric Stallmer, Voyager Space Holdings
Director
Yasmine Almond, Advanced Space
Executive Director
Committees
Awards Committee
Lyn D. Wigbels
American Astronautical Society
Chair
Program Committee
Yasmine Almond
Chair
Advisory Board
Clayton Mowry, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Chair Emeritus
Carissa Bryce Christensen, BryceTech
Chair
Lori Garver, Founder of The Brooke Owens Fellowship
William A. Klanke, Space Intel Report
James V. Zimmerman
Sponsors
2025
Past Sponsors
Partners
Future Space 2025
On July 9, 2025, the Future Space Leaders Foundation will host a two-part event for its 14th annual Future Space event at the Kennedy Caucus Room in the Russell Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill. The event will start at 1 pm and will feature a full afternoon of congressional and government officials’ keynotes as well as panel discussions addressing the latest technologies in space, trends in the market in the civil, commercial and DOD sectors. The conference will continue at Hogan Lovells, 555 13th St NW, for a networking and keynote reception at 5:30 pm. Future Space 2025 aims to advance learning and fosters interaction among current space and satellite industry leaders. The panel discussions will explore cutting edge technologies and new applications poised to transform the space and satellite industry. Sponsoring organizations supporting Future Space 2025 part 2 will enable fundraising for the organization’s goal to provide educational programs and networking opportunities for graduate students and young professionals pursuing careers in the space and satellite industry, by providing grants. By funding outstanding American graduate students and young professionals, the organization is enabling it’s Fellows to attend and present papers at major space-related symposia and conferences including the IAF’s International Astronautical Congress, SGAC Space Congress, AAS’ Goddard Memorial Symposium, National Space Club’s Goddard Dinner, SATELLITE, and more.
Future Space Agendas
Past Speakers
- U.S. Representative Jim Bridenstine
- U.S. Representative Ken Calvert
- U.S. Representative Trent Franks (AZ)
- Lori Garver, Former Deputy Administrator, NASA
- U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (NM)
- U.S. Representative James R. “Jim” Langevin
- Douglas Loverro, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy, U.S. Department of Defense
- U.S. Representative Howard “Buck” McKeon
- U.S. Senator Bill Nelson (FL)
- U.S. Representative Steven Palazzo
- U.S. Representative Dana Rohrabacher
- U.S. Senator Mark E. Udall (CO)
- U.S. Senator David Vitter
Grant Program
The Future Space Leaders Foundation (FSLF) is pleased to announce the 2026 Future Space Leaders Grant Program. Intended for U.S. graduate students and young professionals who are pursuing space- and satellite-related careers, the program will provide grants for participation in the 77th International Astronautical Congress (IAC) to be held in Antalya, Türkiye, October 5th to October 9. 2026. In addition to attending the IAC, Grant Recipients will also be involved in supplementary career development activities in Antalya. These IAC-associated events include the Cross-Cultural Presentation Workshop, the United Nations/International Astronautical Federation (IAF) Workshop and the Young Professionals Workshop. These additional activities will necessitate Grantees’ presence in Antalya, Türkiye, beginning on September 30th.
Grant submission has closed.
2026 Grant Winners
Ian Harris is an engineer and nuclear systems researcher pursuing a PhD in Nuclear Engineering at The Ohio State University, focused on advanced reactor and fuel design. Work centers on computational thermal and neutronics paired with additive manufacturing concepts for next-generation fuel architectures and performance modeling. As the CEO of SPAERO Systems, he is developing plasma-based sterilization technology for space and terrestrial applications, alongside software ventures like Hey Oakley and indie products under Ian Built. Ian is broadly focused on bridging high-fidelity simulation, materials engineering, and product development to move nuclear and space-adjacent technologies from concept to deployable systems.
James Shin is an incoming electrical engineer at K2 Space working on large-scale, high-power satellite platforms. He holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Georgia Tech and is completing his MPhil in Physics at the University of Cambridge as a Marshall Scholar. His research advances next-generation, radiation resilient communication and power infrastructure in space through innovations in RF microelectronics and photovoltaics. Previously, he has gained industry experience through internships at Blue Origin and SpaceX as a Matthew Isakowitz Fellow. James seeks to bridge his technical expertise with space policy and international partnerships. He has interned at the Aerospace Industries Association, engaged in a Wilton Park dialogue, and is a 2026 NobleReach Scholar. In his free time, he volunteers with SGAC, engages with local STEM education efforts, and explores the great outdoors.
Sheila Xu is Ambassador and Researcher at AstroAccess, a nonprofit advancing disability inclusion in the space sector, a 2026 Karman Fellow, and the first Deaf Asian female pilot in history. Her research focuses on multimodal communication systems in human exploration, treating sensory differences as assets rather than obstacles in extreme environments. She has conducted microgravity experiments on an AstroAccess parabolic flight on sign language legibility, personalized hearing solutions, and adaptive lighting to make the spaceflight experience more accessible to deaf and hard-of-hearing flyers, and participated in the first documented use of sign language between two Deaf people in pressurized spacesuits at Biosphere 2. She previously interned at NASA JPL and has consulted for space companies and educational institutions including Blue Origin and the Challenger Center. She holds master's degrees in public policy and business administration from Harvard Kennedy School and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and a Bachelor of Science from MIT. Outside of her research, Sheila is passionate about disability inclusion in space and aviation, and about showing deaf and disabled people of all ages that careers in exploration are open to them. Her call sign is "Cool," earned after surviving an emergency plane landing.
2025
Carson Coursey is a flight mechanics project engineer at The Aerospace Corporation, a federally funded research and development center that provides technical guidance and advice on space activities to military, civil, and commercial customers. Carson primarily supports efforts related to space sustainability and space operational assurance, such as researching the impact of satellite constellations on astronomy, novel conjunction assessment techniques, and satellite constellation orbital tolerances. Additionally, Carson enjoys mentoring aspiring and current space professionals. He holds a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Kyle Horn is a Ph.D. candidate and National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His research enables planetary exploration missions through in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) technology development, with a current focus on Venus aerial robotic platforms. He worked previously on the Mars Oxygen ISRU Experiment (MOXIE) onboard NASA JPL's Mars Perseverance Rover, and on the Blue Alchemist lunar molten regolith electrolysis ISRU project while at Blue Origin. Kyle is passionate about disability inclusion in space exploration; he currently volunteers as an AstroAccess Ambassador and has published research on insulin delivery pump performance in microgravity. In addition to his research, Kyle volunteers as an EMT with the MIT Emergency Medical Service, scuba dives, backpacks, and is a student pilot.
Katherine (Katie) Melbourne is a national security space policy analyst in the Center for Space Policy and Strategy at The Aerospace Corporation. Her research is currently focused on international partnerships in space and applying physics to space strategy, building off her prior experience in wargaming, drafting international agreements, and studying stellar activity. Prior to joining Aerospace, Katie was a systems engineer at Ball Aerospace (now BAE Systems) where she served on the James Webb Space Telescope commissioning team as a wavefront sensing scientist and spent a summer as a Brooke Owens Fellow. Katie recently completed her master's in aerospace engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder and earned a bachelor’s degree in astrophysics from Yale University.
Shanmurugan (Shan) Selvamurugan is a PhD candidate in Aerospace Engineering and an NSF Graduate Research Fellow at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He conducts research in the Space Systems Design Laboratory, where he focuses on leveraging distributed space systems to enable in-space servicing, assembly, and manufacturing (ISAM), with an emphasis on reusable in-space transportation. Shan holds both a BS and MS in Aerospace Engineering from Georgia Tech and brings a breadth of experience from the commercial space industry, having worked at SpaceX, Blue Origin (as a Matthew Isakowitz Fellow), Firefly Aerospace, and currently as a GNC engineer at Reditus Space—a startup developing a reusable reentry spacecraft to enable sustainable access to microgravity environments. Shan has also contributed to shaping engagement strategies and leading customer discovery efforts for Georgia Tech’s newly launched Space Research Institute, with the goal of helping students pursue impactful careers in the space sector. In his free time, he enjoys cooking, snowboarding, and playing a variety of sports, including basketball and tennis.
2024
2023
2022
2021
Shayna Hume
Josh Ingersoll
Molly MacEachen
Ufuoma Ovienmhada
Simon Shuham
Andrew Swackhamer
Anna Voelker
2019
Tatem Burns
Liz De La Torre
Conor Duggan
Tanya Harrison
Caroline Juang
Steven Ramm
Dr. Todd F. Sheerin
Caleb Williams
Melodie Yashar
2018
Chris Beauregard
Stephanie Booth
Hiroshi Furyua
Emily Petersen
Barret Schlegelmilch
Lauren Smith
Jeffrey Stuart
2017
Deepak Atyam
Sirisha Bandla
John Conafay
Joshua W. Ehrlich
McClain Goggin
Peter Schulte
Anna Thomas
2016
Travis Doom
Alexander Gibson
Tara Halt
Kavya K. Manyapu
Tomoya Mori
William O'Neill
Javier Stober
Dr. Danielle Wood
Brittany Zimmerman
2015
Fr. Justin Atchison
Sarah Hefter Flanigan
Raphael Perrino
Jillianne Pierce
Julia Stalder
Paul Warren
2014
Alexander Burg
Anne Caraccio
Katrina Laygo
Samantha Marquart
Mandy Sweeney
2013
Jason Dunn
Paul Guthrie
Aaron Olson
Donate
The Future Space Leaders Foundation and our esteemed fellows depend on contributions from corporations and donations to provide these incredible opportunities to those who will lead us to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
If you are interested in supporting FSFL, please consider donating on a recurring monthly or annual basis. A donation of just $50 a month will provide promising young professionals the opportunity of a lifetime to attend the International Astronautical Conference. At IAC, they will have the opportunity to network with, deliver their exceptional research to, and learn from the international space community.
As a 501c3 organization your gift not only help enable future space industry leaders but the gifts are also tax deductible.