Richard French

Richard French is a senior executive in the space industry, currently serving as Senior Director of Business Development and Strategy for the Space Systems division at Rocket Lab.4 He has extensive experience in both the commercial and government sectors of the space industry.

Career Highlights

Rocket Lab: French joined Rocket Lab in August 2019 as Director of Global Government Launch Services.4 He was promoted to Director of Business Development and Strategy for Space Systems in July 2020, and then to Senior Director in December 2022.4 In this role, he leads business development and strategy for Rocket Lab's Space Systems Division, which provides end-to-end mission services, on-orbit operations, and high-end satellite components.3

NASA Experience: Prior to joining Rocket Lab, French spent over a decade at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).13 His roles at JPL included:

• Manager of Technology Partnerships in the Office of Space Technology (2017-2019)4
• Lead developer of the Techstars Starburst Space Accelerator program3
• Staff Technologist at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. (2-year detail)3
• Mechanical Engineer working on various missions (2007-2017)4

Notable Achievements

• Contributed to landing the Curiosity Rover on Mars as part of the Mars Science Laboratory entry, descent, and landing systems engineering team12
• Led the spin subsystem for the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission, for which he received the NASA Honors Early Career Public Achievement Medal24
• Played a key role in developing NASA's Tipping Point and Announcement of Collaborative Opportunity solicitations3

Education

French holds a M.Eng. in space systems engineering and a B.S.E. in aerospace engineering, both from the University of Michigan.1