Space Ambition Second Anniversary: Inspiring Stories from Our Team Members and Subscribers
Discover the stories of people who have transitioned to the aerospace sector or found ways to incorporate space into their lives. Their journeys will inspire you to fulfill your own space dream!
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Space Ambition celebrates its 2nd anniversary on September 16. We launched this project in September 2022 with this article, 250 subscribers, and a strong passion to inspire people and help advance the aerospace sector. Today, we have almost 14,000 subscribers worldwide and have published 95 articles covering topics ranging from Mars, the Moon, Venus, and deep space exploration to more grounded subjects like tracking CO2 through Earth observation, and the implementation of satellite internet and IoT.
In addition to our articles, we’ve organized numerous SpaceTech pitch sessions and events, launched fellowship programs, and collaborated with over 20 volunteers eager to learn about SpaceTech and contribute to the field. Despite our progress, we still believe Space Ambition is just beginning its journey. We have many plans and ideas to share with you over the coming months and into next year.
As we look back and celebrate this milestone, we’re excited to share inspiring stories from our founders and subscribers who have been motivated by our work to take action. We hope you enjoy these stories, and you can read more about our journey in our article from our 1st anniversary.
The Story of Space Ambition
Though our first article was published in September 2022, the story of Space Ambition began earlier, when Denis Kalyshkin and Alexandra Vidyuk met online in mid-2020. The pandemic made many of us realize how short life can be, prompting the question: If we could die any day, shouldn't we spend our lives doing something meaningful? For us, that "something" was space.
Denis and Alexandra exchanged books, videos, and articles on aerospace and fundamental physics for more than a year. They brainstormed endlessly about why humanity isn’t on Mars yet and how we could make interstellar travel possible. It wasn’t until early 2022 that they decided to take action. Surprisingly, it was the NFT boom that gave them their initial spark. They envisioned creating a space-themed NFT collection dedicated to space exploration, with the idea of raising funds to support scientific research. However, like many startups, they soon reached a point where they had to pivot. After three months of effort, they realized the NFT concept wasn’t having the impact they had hoped for. It simply wasn’t aligning with their deeper goals.
In July 2022, they shifted their focus to creating a media blog. Alexandra led a team of volunteers, conducting market and competitor analysis and brainstorming new concepts over the course of a month. This process led to the addition of Konstantin Baranov to the founding team. Around the same time, Denis hosted an online brainstorming session on the topic of colonizing the Moon, which attracted over 200 participants. One of them was his university mate, Dr. Ivan Khrapach. After weeks of continued discussion, Ivan joined the team as a co-founder.
Denis also called for volunteers interested in space tech market research. This is when Marat Airapetian reached out and, in time, became another co-founder of Space Ambition. A few months later, after reading many of our articles, Nick Veliev joined the team and also became a co-founder. Along our journey, more than 20 volunteers, numerous guest authors, and experts have contributed to our mission. To all of you, we extend our heartfelt thanks for helping make our dream a reality!
One interesting fact about our team: We’ve always worked remotely. From the start, our team has been spread across 6 countries and numerous time zones, with our core members never physically gathered in one place. Denis and Alexandra met in person for the first time only in July 2024. Check out their photo below.
The Stories of Space Ambition Founders
We would also like to share personal stories of our co-founders, starting with Dr. Ivan Khrapach:
“I’m a physicist by training, with my first specialization in plasma and heat transfer in various rocket engines. At that time, the space industry felt stagnant—the space race was long over, and we were still using rockets that hadn’t changed much since the 1980s.
I wanted to move into a more dynamic field and I shifted my focus to studying quantum transport in graphene, and later, I worked on manufacturing superconducting qubits and quantum processors. Eventually, I became interested in the commercialization of my work and decided to dive into that world. What I found was an industry undergoing exponential growth, with new technologies emerging every day. However, investors were often overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information, leading to misallocation of resources. That’s where I found my niche: helping navigate the sea of startups, directing investments where they truly mattered, and distinguishing promising ventures from the rest.
While working in VC, I reconnected with my old friends Denis and Alexandra during a brainstorming session about lunar exploration. It was then that I realized the era of stagnation in space tech was over. Together, we decided to co-found Space Ambition. Today, I’m convinced that space technologies are at the cusp of significant development, and I’m excited to contribute to this field in a new capacity.
Being part of Space Ambition has been incredibly rewarding. The team’s diversity brings a wealth of creative ideas, pushing the boundaries of our work. Our dedication to excellence and our forward-thinking approach make this collaboration both enjoyable and fulfilling. I look forward to many more years of innovation and success!”
Now, we’re handing the microphone over to Marat Airapetian:
“My big dream has always been to explore Mars and other planets. That's why I participated in the Martian analog mission Amadee-24 (check out the full story here). I believe that space exploration is the most advanced task for mankind and contributes to evolution. To contribute meaningfully, I need to stay up-to-date with the latest technologies and trends in the space industry.
Space Ambition helps me do that. Every article we write allows us to delve deeper into the subject and connect with the people who are changing the world. It's been a true pleasure for me to speak with the scientists who discovered phosphine on Venus and the CEOs of leading space companies.
What I love most about our team is our diverse backgrounds, ranging from engineering to venture capital. This allows us to approach problems from multiple perspectives, and I’m constantly learning something new.
Another mission I see for myself is to inspire people with space exploration and to guide them toward achieving their dreams. I’m very excited by the stories of people we've inspired along the way.
Friends, believe in your dreams. Go for them, and they will come true!”
Pivoting to Space
One of the most common concerns we hear from people passionate about space is that they lack an aerospace background and believe it's too late for them to pivot in their careers. At Space Ambition, we firmly believe the aerospace sector needs motivated individuals from a wide range of fields, including sales, marketing, PR, HR, medicine, law, data science, IT, product and project management, general management, finance, the arts, and more.
We’ve already shared several inspiring stories, such as Michael Najjar, who promotes space exploration and technology through his art; Harriet Brettle, who became Head of Market Analysis and Business Intelligence at the European Space Agency after a career in finance; Rob Desborough, Managing Partner at Seraphim Space, who transitioned from being a general VC; Raphael Roettgen, who launched E2MC, a SpaceTech VC, after years in investment banking and hedge funds; Jonathan Lacoste, who became General Partner of Space.VC after a decade building an enterprise software company; and Adrien Michaud, who joined Rocket Lab after a career in software engineering. You can read all our interviews with SpaceTech VCs here.
We believe that over 100 million people around the world dream of space. Often, we feel alone in our passion, but to succeed, we need to find our tribe and get inspiration from others who have followed similar paths.
Today, we’d like to share with you the stories of Space Ambition subscribers who have made their pivot into the space sector. Our first story is about Ignacio Krasovitzky, who is in the process of transitioning into space after 25 years in the pharmaceutical sector. Notably, Ignacio is part of the Human2Venus Foundation, a global community of professionals dedicated to exploring Venus as a potential long-term destination for humanity. We at Space Ambition are equally passionate about the potential of Venus. You can check out our previous article on the topic.
Now, we’re handing the microphone over to Ignacio:
“My name is Ignacio Krasovitzky, and I am 48 years old with a background in Economics. In January 2024, I came across the Space Ambition blog, specifically an article about their fellowship program. Although I did not end up enrolling, it opened my eyes to the fact that New Space isn’t just for engineers and scientists—it’s accessible to everyone. This realization inspired me to consider a mid-career transition into the space industry after spending over 25 years in the pharmaceutical sector.
I decided to devote this year to learning everything I could about the space industry, diving into numerous books, podcasts, and webinars related to the New Space Economy. I also enrolled in programs from MIT (New Space Economy) and ISU (Space Studies Program in Houston, TX) to further my understanding of the sector.
During this learning journey, I received another email from Space Ambition, this time mentioning a space analog mission involving one of their co-founders (this article). Once again, this sparked my interest and led me to seek out a similar experience to join. As a result, I became part of the initial crew for Space Nation's Moon Analog mission, which took place in Texas this past May. The experience was transformative and further facilitated my transition into the space sector.
As crazy as this may sound, I would probably have not pursued this path, at least not in the same way, if it hadn’t been for those emails I received from Space Ambition earlier in the year. A BIG thank you for that! I certainly look forward to receiving more of them in the weeks, months and years to come. I am considering writing a blog of my own on topics related to the New Space Economy in particular.
My fundamental love for space, driven by a profound belief in the transformative power of space-related technologies to inspire, unite, and push the boundaries of human achievement, has served as the guiding force propelling my recent career shift into the Space industry.
Whether through satellite technologies, LEO Destinations or Cislunar development, I see space as a frontier ripe with economic opportunities and possibilities for shaping the future of industry, commerce, and society back on Earth.
My ultimate mission is to leverage my background in economics, market research, and strategic consulting to help advance the New Space Economy, fostering partnerships, attracting investment, and promoting the commercialization of space technologies for both established companies and emerging startups.”
Ignacio, thank you for sharing your inspiring story. We're thrilled to have supported you on your journey, and we look forward to seeing how your efforts evolve over time. Remember, the sky is not the limit—it’s just the beginning!
Another inspiring story we'd love to share is that of Joseph D. Turano, a lawyer with over 15 years of experience who relocated from New York to Miami. Known for his advocacy of just causes, Joseph's journey into the world of space is a testament to how diverse expertise can find a place in the space industry. Here is his story:
“Space Ambition rekindled the fire I had about Outer Space Activities that I enjoyed as a child. As a result, I am in the process of pivoting my legal practice to space-related activities such as ISAM, satellite liability, and space junk casualty events such as when debris re-enters the atmosphere and causes injury to a person or damage to property.
I cannot thank Space Ambition enough for giving me the extra boost to focus on what I really enjoy practicing. Thank you!”
Joseph, we're thrilled to hear that you've taken such a significant step in your life and that we helped ignite that spark! Space law is a crucial issue that humanity will increasingly need to address in the near future. We've already discussed the current state of space law and international law agreements in our articles, and we'd be happy to collaborate with you on this important topic in the future.
Applying SpaceTech Approaches at Your Current Job
Many of you work in sectors unrelated to space, but that doesn't mean you can't bring your passion for space into your current role. Take the inspiring story of Tina Salvage, Lead Data Governance Architect – Group Functions at Bupa Global, a leading international private healthcare insurance company.
Tina has a proven track record of creating and embedding strategic business processes, consulting across departments with key stakeholders, and delivering successful data-driven projects. She holds DCAM and CDMC accreditations from the EDM Council and has expertise in data management, governance, policy compliance, regulation, and ethics.
Read Tina’s inspiring story below:
“Space has always been a realm of endless fascination—a frontier that pushes the boundaries of what we know, challenges the limits of human capability, and inspires the loftiest dreams. For me, the spark of Space Ambition ignited more than just a casual interest; it took me back to the heady days of Star Wars/Star Trek but made it feel like a reality.
My interest in space was not just about the allure of stars and distant planets; it was about the sheer scale of challenges and possibilities that space exploration presents. When I began to delve into the complexities of data management, I found myself constantly drawing parallels to the challenges faced by space missions. Just like in space, where every piece of data can be a matter of life and death, I realized that data on Earth also holds immense power—power that must be harnessed with precision, governance, and a forward-thinking approach.
Space Ambition pushed me to think beyond the conventional boundaries of data management. It taught me the importance of precision, the value of foresight, and the necessity of stringent governance. After all, in space, even the smallest error can have catastrophic consequences. This mindset drove me to innovate and implement data governance strategies that are not just about compliance, but about ensuring that data serves as a reliable foundation for decision-making, much like how space agencies ensure that their data leads to successful missions.”
By the way, Tina has also published an article about data governance in space, exploring its challenges and opportunities. Tina, thank you for bringing up this topic. We’d be happy to have a call and learn more about it.
We hope this story inspires you to incorporate space technologies or ideas into your current job. Consider how you might integrate Earth observation, satellite internet and IoT, GPS, or even spectacular space imagery into your work or volunteer activities. As the Chinese proverb says, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." We wish you all the best as you take your first step!
Unfortunately, we couldn’t include all the stories of our subscribers in this article, and we apologize for that. We appreciate every submission and will definitely feature them in future articles. Thank you all for your support and contributions! If you’re ready to take the next step and need our assistance, please email us at hello@spaceambition.org. We’ll do our best to help make your dreams a reality!
We’d also like to share the story of the American Cancer Society with you. In May 1913, 10 physicians and 5 businessmen came together to fight cancer. Though the battle continues, humanity has made significant strides in curing the disease. We are now a community of 14,000. If they could make a difference, we too can make a significant impact in space!
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