George T. Whitesides, CEO of Virgin Galactic and The Spaceship Company, is responsible for guiding all aspects of building Virgin Galactic’s first commercial spaceline including the spaceflight program as well as the small satellite launch capability. This includes oversight of a sister company, The Spaceship Company (TSC), to manufacture a fleet of WhiteKnightTwo and SpaceShipTwo space vehicles. Prior to Virgin Galactic, Whitesides served as Chief of Staff for NASA, where he provided policy and staff support to the agency’s Administrator. Upon departure from NASA, he received the Distinguished Service Medal, the highest award the agency confers. Prior to his role at NASA, Whitesides served as Executive Director of the National Space Society.