Impulse Space Propulsion has appointed Barry A. Matsumori to the company’s Chief Operating Officer (COO) position. An industry veteran with decades of experience in mobile wireless and Space 2.0 sectors, Barry will be a key member of Impulse’s executive team, instrumental in driving Impulse’s mission to become the go-to leader for in-space transportation of satellites to optimal orbits.
Barry Matsumori’s extensive background in the mobile wireless and Space 2.0 sectors spans numerous leadership roles, among them serving as senior vice president of business development and advanced concepts at Virgin Galactic, senior vice president of sales and business development at SpaceX and nearly two decades at Qualcomm, where he was vice president of wireless connectivity. He has also worked with several early-stage technology companies in development and management capacities.
Most recently, Barry was the CEO of BridgeComm, Inc. During his nearly five-year tenure, he led this Denver-based company in changing the way in which data is transmitted and received globally to address connectivity solutions for space, air, and ground communications. Under his leadership, the company achieved significant milestones and forges invaluable partnerships in its mission to advance the capabilities of optical wireless communications (OWC). Barry holds a bachelor’s degree in business from Arizona State University and earned his master’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Arizona.
“We are super excited to welcome Barry to the team,” said Impulse Founder, Tom Mueller, a renowned industry visionary who was a founding member of SpaceX. “Barry brings it all: inspirational leadership qualities, deep industry experience and high energy. His unique ability to create momentum out of thin air and motivate people to ride the wave will be a tremendous contribution to Impulse as we accelerate the transition to the use of inner solar system resources to protect Earth. Impulse ultimately wants to be the leader in Space Transportation, and with Barry and the crew in place, I am confident that we are well on our way.“
“There could be no better time for me to join this remarkable team of visionaries, many of whom I’ve known and respected for years,” said Matsumori. “Space is more accessible than ever, but efficiently moving payloads into higher energy orbits remains a challenge. Impulse is ready to change this by providing agile, economical capabilities to access any orbit. That’s as exciting as it gets, and I am thrilled to be a part of this.”
Founded in 2021, Impulse Space Propulsion is a Space 2.0 pioneer providing agile, economical last-mile space payload delivery capabilities. With a near-term focus on Low Earth Orbit (LEO), services include in-space transportation, orbital transport of satellites to optimal orbits, on-orbit servicing, space debris deorbit and space station orbit keeping. Long-term, Impulse will include focus on Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO), lunar and beyond, to provide transport of space resources, lunar missions including landers, planetary missions, asteroid resources, in-space manufacturing and propellant depots.
