**Name:** Richard French **Role:** Vice President - Business Development and Strategy, Space Systems **Shares Owned:** **Joined:** 2019-08-01 **Linkedin**: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-french-65747410/ ![[Pasted image 20241127003204.png|300]] >[!summary] Richard French leads business development and strategy for Rocket Lab’s space systems division, providing end-to-end mission services and on-orbit operations with the company’s Photon family of small spacecraft and high-end satellite components including propulsion, reaction wheels, star trackers, avionics, solar arrays, and more. > Richard spent over a decade at [[NASA]]’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where he led development of the [Techstars Starburst Space Accelerator program](https://www.techstars.com/accelerators/space) and managed technology partnerships with industry in the Office of Space Technology. He also spent two years on detail to [[NASA]] Headquarters in Washington, D.C. as a Staff Technologist in the Space Technology Mission Directorate, leading development of the Tipping Point and Announcement of Collaborative Opportunity solicitations. Richard’s earlier career includes service as an engineer on various [[NASA]] missions, including being awarded the NASA Honors Early Career Public Achievement Medal for his work as a lead mechanical systems engineer on the Soil Moisture Active Passive mission, and helping to land the Curiosity Rover on Mars as a member of the Mars Science Laboratory entry, descent, and landing systems engineering team. > Richard holds a Masters degree in Space Systems Engineering and a Bachelors degree in Aerospace Engineering, both from the University of Michigan. [Source](https://www.rocketlabusa.com/about/team/) ## 🎙️ Interviews %%DATAVIEW_PUBLISHER: start ``` table date as "Date", source as "Source" from "Interviews" where contains(insider, [[Richard French]]) sort date desc ``` %% | File | Date | Source | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------ | ---------------------------- | | [[Interviews/Off-Nominal Episode 191.md\|Off-Nominal Episode 191]] | April 03, 2025 | Off-Nominal | | [[Interviews/Space Policy Edition - Planetary Radio.md\|Space Policy Edition - Planetary Radio]] | February 07, 2025 | The Planetary Society | | [[Interviews/Rocket Lab 2022 Investor Day & Neutron Update.md\|Rocket Lab 2022 Investor Day & Neutron Update]] | September 22, 2022 | Rocket Lab 2022 Investor Day | %%DATAVIEW_PUBLISHER: end %% ## 📰 News %%DATAVIEW_PUBLISHER: start ``` table title as "Title", published as "Published" from "News" where contains(insider, [[Richard French]]) sort published desc ``` %% | File | Title | Published | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------ | | [[News/Rocket Lab Appoints Richard French as Director – Global Government Launch Services.md\|Rocket Lab Appoints Richard French as Director – Global Government Launch Services]] | Rocket Lab Appoints Richard French as Director – Global Government Launch Services | September 05, 2019 | %%DATAVIEW_PUBLISHER: end %% ## Other Organizations - [[NASA]]