Andy has 46 years with NGC/TRW and a total of 48 years working in advanced space programs specializing in, advanced manufacturing, spacecraft design, micro-electronics, nuclear products, space logistics, and astrophysics projects. As a NG Fellow 2, he supports NGC’s key space customers including NASA, USSF, AFRL, NRO, DARPA, Army/SMDC, Space RCO, USMC, and the Navy. He is considered one of the prominent advanced manufacturing (AM) experts in the country and has produced over fifty papers in AM, in-space manufacturing, lunar and planetary sciences, hypersonics, and miniaturization of spacecraft components. He brings his innovative approach to problems and has won several Corporate awards for innovation.
Andy is an appointed Research Professor at the University of New Mexico and is on the faculty in the Electrical and Computing Engineering Department, supporting satellite and space research. He is on the Technical Advisory Boards for Virginia Tech, U of Michigan, Cornell, UTEP, and U of New Mexico. Andy Kwas graduated from the University of Michigan in 1978 with two degrees in Aerospace Engineering and Applied Mechanics, and received a Masters degree in 1980 from the University of Missouri Science and Technology in Astrophysics.

Erik Pranckh is the Managing Director of Dcubed USA, where he leads the company’s expansion into the U.S. market and its mission to deliver next-generation deployable hardware and in-space manufacturing capabilities. With a background spanning engineering, entrepreneurship, and strategy, he focuses on integrating advanced technologies into responsive U.S. space architectures. Erik collaborates across government, industry, and academia to advance the rapid delivery and manufacture of critical spacecraft subsystems that enable scalable, resilient space infrastructure.

Joe Spytek is Chief Executive Officer of Satport, a satellite ground infrastructure company. With over 30 years of entrepreneurial leadership in satellite telecommunications, Joe previously served as CEO of Speedcast, where he led a complete recapitalization and transformation, integrating 16 businesses into a unified platform and pioneering multi-path, multi-orbit, software-defined services. As Co-Founder and CEO of ITC Global for 17 years, he grew the company from a disaster recovery start-up to a global remote communications leader serving blue-chip customers across 70 countries before its sale to Panasonic. A 2023 inductee into the SSPI Hall of Fame, Joe holds a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering from Vanderbilt University and is recognized for setting industry standards in connectivity and transforming satellite businesses for the future.

Luis Vidal is the Director of Commercial GEO Business Development at Starfish Space, where he focuses on growing the market for life extension and de-orbit services. He joined the company after six years at The Boeing Company and five years as a business development leader at various early stage technology companies. Luis earned a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Michigan, a M.S. in Aerospace Engineering from Georgia Tech, and a MBA from Harvard Business School. He is also a founder and Entrepreneur having co-founded a technology company and is active in the local Seattle entrepreneurial community.