White House Space Policy Official Audrey Schaffer Joins Slingshot Aerospace
chaffer will serve as Vice President of Strategy and Policy; she will use her experience developing national security space strategies and policies and shaping international norms for space sustainability to help Slingshot lead the space industry in advancing policies that support safe global space operations.
AUSTIN, TX / EL SEGUNDO, CA—September 11, 2023, Slingshot Aerospace, Inc. the leading space data and tracking company dedicated to improving spaceflight safety and optimizing orbital operations, today announced that former White House space policy official, Audrey Schaffer, has been named Slingshot’s Vice President of Strategy and Policy. Schaffer brings more than 15 years of experience in policy and strategy leadership for the U.S. government, including at the White House National Security Council (NSC), the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), the U.S. Department of State, and NASA.
Schaffer joins Slingshot from the White House’s NSC, which is the principal forum for national security and foreign policy decision making in the United States, where she served as Director for Space Policy. As the lead for national security space policy matters within the Executive Office of the President, and lead for space policy on the National Security Council staff, she advised the U.S. President, Vice President, and National Security Advisor on military, intelligence, civil, and commercial space policies and strategies. She helped guide the U.S. initiative to establish an international ban on destructive direct-ascent anti-satellite (ASAT) missile testing that the Vice President announced in April 2022.
“Audrey’s career achievements have been pivotal in shaping national and international space activities, and we’re honored to have her join the Slingshot team,” said Leslie Hildebrand, the Senior Vice President of Government Business Development and Strategy, Slingshot Aerospace. “Her extensive experience in national security space and space policy uniquely qualifies her to advance Slingshot’s vision of accelerating space sustainability.”
In her prior role in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Schaffer led DoD efforts to establish in law the United States Space Force (USSF) as the sixth branch of the armed forces. Schaffer also led a government-industry team that represented the United States in negotiating the first-ever United Nations (UN) guidelines for space sustainability.
In her role at Slingshot, Schaffer will draw on her government, national security, and international experience to advance policy that supports safe space operations and continues to drive the industry forward. She will also lead the development of strategies that position Slingshot’s products and services, including Slingshot Vantage, Slingshot Beacon, Slingshot Seradata, and Slingshot Laboratory, for continued growth and deployment.
“The growing number of objects in space and the increasing complexity of space operations is creating a more unpredictable orbital operating environment for the satellites we rely on for our national security, economic prosperity, and daily lives,” said Schaffer. “Slingshot Aerospace bolsters awareness and enables coordination among space operators, which is essential for establishing a sensible set of guidelines and norms that apply to all space operations. I joined Slingshot because I want to help ensure that space remains safe for future generations.”
On behalf of Slingshot, Schaffer will serve as an industry representative to international space governance forums including the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space. She will also work closely with space industry associations and non-governmental organizations including the Secure World Foundation, a private operating foundation that promotes cooperative solutions for space sustainability and the peaceful uses of outer space. Schaffer will represent Slingshot with the Sustainable Markets Initiative, which unveiled King Charles’ Astra Carta at Buckingham Palace, helping bring together the public and private sectors to focus on space sustainability. Additionally, she will serve as an industry representative to bilateral space dialogues between the United States and other space-faring nations.
Schaffer is also a Senior Associate (non-resident) at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a bipartisan, nonprofit policy research organization dedicated to advancing practical ideas to address the world’s greatest challenges. She holds a M.A. in International Science and Technology Policy, with a concentration in Space Policy, from the George Washington University and a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
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About Slingshot Aerospace
Slingshot Aerospace is a space tech company that develops data, simulation, and analytics products to optimize space missions, reduce on-orbit risk, and enhance situational awareness for governments and private space organizations globally. The company’s platform combines trusted data sources, including the Slingshot Global Sensor Network and the Slingshot Seradata database, to digitize the space domain. This empowers customers to make confident decisions and achieve clarity in the complex space domain, driving space sustainability and improving mission effectiveness. Slingshot Aerospace was launched in 2017 and has offices in Austin, TX, El Segundo, CA, Colorado Springs, and Fort Collins, CO.
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Media contact
Stacy Morris
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