Smith has also joined the board of directors for Starlab Space, the joint venture with Airbus to design, build and operate the Starlab commercial space station.
Voyager Space has officially named Marshall Smith as the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and welcomed him as a member of Starlab Space’s Board of Directors. The announcement comes as the company aims to enhance its technical strategy for enterprise and navigate the design, development, and operations of the commercial space station.
Marshall Smith, previously serving as Voyager Space’s Vice President of Exploration, is set to play a pivotal role in steering Voyager’s exploration initiatives and guiding the Starlab team in their space station endeavours.
Speaking about the appointment, Dylan Taylor, CEO and Chairman of Voyager Space, said: “Voyager’s exploration, technology, and defence capabilities have grown rapidly since our founding, and Marshall has been at the forefront since joining our team. His proven experience in government and industry, and unmatched technical acumen make him the perfect choice as Voyager’s CTO and as a Starlab Space board member.”
Prior to joining Voyager, Marshall Smith served as the Senior Vice President of Commercial Space Stations at Nanoracks, a segment now part of Voyager’s Exploration Segment. His responsibilities included overseeing the space systems division, which comprised commercial space station development, autonomous outpost platforms, and support systems such as airlocks.
Notably, Smith brings a wealth of experience from his 37-year tenure at NASA, where he designed and built complex, human-rated space systems. His leadership encompassed systems engineering and integration for projects like SLS, Orion, and Exploration Ground Systems. Smith played a crucial role in formulating NASA’s plans for Artemis and Moon to Mars, contributing to projects like NASA’s Gateway, the Human Landing System, and other systems vital for deep space exploration. Smith’s outstanding contributions have earned him prestigious awards, including the NASA Systems Engineering Excellence of the Year Award, the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal, and the NASA Exceptional Service Medal.
Smith stated: “I am proud to be part of such a dedicated and driven team at Voyager Space. 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 Marshall Smith’s appointment, Starlab Space also revealed the addition of former NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine to its Board of Directors.
