Mar 2, 2019   SOURCE: BusinessWire

Spaceflight CEO Named Honoree for Puget Sound Business Journal’s 2019 Innovator of the Year Award

Spaceflight, the leading rideshare and mission management provider, today announced Curt Blake, CEO of Spaceflight, has been named an honoree by Puget Sound Business Journal for the 2019 Innovator of the Year award. Each year, the publication recognizes the most forward-thinking and creative individuals from the Puget Sound region. A luncheon will be held today, March 1, to the celebrate the chosen honorees.

“The Puget Sound region is full of some of the most innovative individuals and brands in the world and I’m honored to be among an impressive group of people reshaping industries,” said Blake. “This past year was momentous for Spaceflight with the launch of our record-breaking rideshare mission, SSO-A. We also expanded our launch vehicle portfolio, signed important customers, and sent nearly 100 satellites to space. I am incredibly proud to work with a team that led us to such a successful year and that is increasingly making space more accessible—without them, this award wouldn’t be possible.”

In December 2018, Spaceflight launched 64 satellites on its first-ever dedicated rideshare mission, in which the company purchased and manifested an entire SpaceX Falcon 9. This is the largest number of satellites ever sent to space from a U.S.-based rocket. Spaceflight’s SSO-A mission enabled many universities, startups, and government agencies to access space in a cost-effective manner. As one of the individuals who conceived this revolutionary concept, Blake led the negotiations for the purchase of the rocket in 2015 and played an instrumental role in securing key customers leading up to the launch.

To continue offering a variety of launch options to its customers, Spaceflight also signed agreements with launch vehicle providers, Virgin Orbit, Rocket Lab and Vector in the last year. Additionally, the company secured major customer contracts, including Canon Electronics’ CE-SAT-I and Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research’s first Earth-imaging satellite, Amazonia-1.

Spaceflight is positioned for another historic year in 2019. On Feb. 21, 2019, the company launched its first mission to Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit, sending the first-ever privately funded lunar lander to the Moon. Also, Spaceflight has plans for approximately 10 launches and is contracted to launch nearly 100 satellites in the coming year.

About Spaceflight

Spaceflight is revolutionizing the business of spaceflight by delivering a new model for accessing space. A comprehensive launch services and mission management provider, the company provides a straightforward and cost-effective suite of products and services including state-of-the-art satellite infrastructure and rideshare launch offerings that enable commercial and government entities to achieve their mission goals on time and on budget. A service offering of Spaceflight Industries in Seattle, Wash., Spaceflight provides its services through a global network of partners and launch vehicle providers. For more information, visit http://www.spaceflight.com.