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November’s Presentation

Engineering the Future of Space with TransAstra

Premieres on YouTube Thursday, November 21 at 6 p.m. CST

Join us for November’s episode of the Thought Leader Series, presented by UTMB Health, as we explore the technology and strategies driving the next frontier of space exploration in ” Engineering the Future of Space with TransAstra.”

See how TransAstra’s innovations tackle sustainability challenges and enable space-based industries’ growth!

Panelists

Joel Sercel

Founder and CEO of TransAstra

Dr. Joel Sercel is the founder and CEO of TransAstra Corporation, a pioneering space technology company dedicated to advancing the frontier of asteroid mining and space logistics. With a distinguished career spanning both industry and academia, Joel has been instrumental in developing innovative propulsion systems and space mining technologies that promise to revolutionize the utilization of space resources. Under his leadership, TransAstra has become a Y Combinator-backed company (YC S-21), successfully raising over $10M in private investments and securing more than $10M in grants and contracts from NASA and the U.S. Space Force. As a seasoned entrepreneur and technologist, Joel has a deep understanding of both the technical and business challenges of space exploration. He has been awarded seven NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Fellowships, underscoring his role as a thought leader in space innovation.

Alex Pilmer

Chief Business Officer at TransAstra

Alex is the Chief Business Officer at TransAstra. TransAstra is developing disruptive technologies in the areas of orbital logistics and space resources to enable massive growth to existing and entirely new space industries. As TransAstra’s Chief Business Officer, Alex oversees investor, customer, and partner relationships, as well as human resources and legal affairs. Previously, Alex was an equity partner at Kirkland & Ellis LLP, an elite global law firm. During his diverse legal career, Alex handled a wide variety of legal and business matters relating to technology, finance, commercial, real estate and securities related matters. His clients have included some of the world’s largest, and most sophisticated technical companies, private equity funds, as well as start-up ventures. As a litigator, Alex has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars through trials and settlements for clients, and he has successfully defended clients from claims seeking billions of dollars in damages. He has also closed corporate transactions worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

Nicole Shumaker

Vice President of Strategic Partnerships and Business Development at TransAstra

Nicole Shumaker is the Vice President of Strategic Partnerships and Business Development at TransAstra, where she plays a key role in driving the company’s growth in space logistics and asteroid mining. With a strong track record in securing government R&D funding and commercial revenue, she has built multiple technology businesses from the ground up, generating millions of dollars in revenue. Previously, Nicole served as a Research Specialist at Texas A&M University, where she led a lunar engineering initiative that secured over $3M in competitive funding from NASA and other sources. She also founded and managed the Texas A&M Lunar Surface Experiment Program. She holds a B.S. in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences from Georgia Tech and has extensive experience in research and program development. Nicole has conducted field research in zero gravity and the Arctic and is passionate about Earth and Space exploration.

About the series

Ignite your curiosity and grow your passion for space and science at our monthly Thought Leader Series. The best and brightest minds examine the significance of historic missions, share the latest news in space exploration and look ahead to the future of space travel. This immersive series takes guests beyond our walls to provide inspiring, engaging and educational learning experiences.

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Moon 2 Mars Festival is back!

Tickets on sale now | March 13 - 16

The All-American Rejects are throwing Space Center Houston’s Moon 2 Mars Festival into hyperdrive. Amp up your Space City Spring Break with us!

Access to this all-ages festival is included in general admission.