Former NASA chief takes helm of national security space firm

Key Points:

• Jim Bridenstine, former NASA administrator and naval aviator, has been named CEO of Quantum Space, a Maryland-based company focused on building advanced maneuverable spacecraft with a priority on national security space.
• Quantum Space is developing Ranger, a spacecraft roughly the size of a Volkswagen Beetle that can rapidly maneuver across various orbits and cislunar space, carrying 4,000 kg of hydrazine propellant and capable of refueling itself and other spacecraft.
• The company has contracts supporting military programs like DARPA’s LASSO lunar orbit project, the Air Force Research Lab’s Oracle-P space situational awareness initiative, and is a competitor in the $6.2 billion Andromeda surveillance satellite program.
• Quantum Space, founded by billionaire Kam Ghaffarian and currently privately funded with $80 million in Series A funding, plans to launch its first Ranger spacecraft by July 2027 to demonstrate its propulsion capabilities.
• Bridenstine praised NASA’s Artemis program and current administrator Jared Isaacman’s efforts to accelerate lunar missions, expressing strong emotional support for the recent Artemis II launch despite having left NASA five years ago.