Invited Speakers

ALBAN GUYOMARC'H

A graduate of the Ecole Normale Supérieure and a doctoral student in space law and private international law at the University of Paris Panthéon Assas, he has also been coordinating the Groupe Objectif Lune (Destination moon) of the Association Nationale de la Recherche et de la Technologie (ANRT) since December 2020. His research focus on international private aspects of space law and regulations and on political and geopolitical dynamics in space affairs, with a special interest for the Moon and lunar ambitions.

SETTHIVOINE YOU

Setthivoine You is Chief Scientist and Co-Founder of the Helicity Space Corporation, a company dedicated to developing fusion propulsion and power for a spacefaring civilization. Dr. You's area of specialization is experimental and theoretical plasma physics applied to fusion energy, space propulsion, and astrophysics. He was formerly Visiting Associate Professor at the Univ. Tokyo, Assistant Professor in the Dept. of Aeronautics & Astronautics of Univ. Washington, Postdoc in the Dept. of Applied Physics at Caltech and worked at the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy for a PhD in Physics from Imperial College London. He received an Early Career Award from the U.S. Dept. of Energy.

LIONEL SUCHET

Lionel Suchet is a graduated of the Ecole Polytechnique engineering school and of French aerospace school ENSAE. He is DGA engineer, rank General, 2nd section.

From 1989 to 1992, he was responsible for Safety and Human Factors for Antares spaceflight mission on the Mir space station.

He was then appointed project leader for the next three manned missions to Mir: Altair, Cassiopée, in which flew France’s first astronaut woman, and Perseus, a long-duration flight that lasted 188 days in 1999.

He headed the agency’s International Space Station Utilization division, where he oversaw the Andromeda and STS-111 missions, the latter being the last spaceflight of a CNES astronaut. At the same time, he set up the CADMOS centre for the development of microgravity applications and space operations, currently the centre in charge of all physiological experiments for Europe.

In 2008, he was appointed Head of the sub-directorate in charge of developing orbital systems projects for science, altimetry and space oceanography, telecommunications, navigation, earth observation and defence.

In 2011, he was appointed Deputy Director of the Toulouse Space Centre, coordinating all of the centre’s cross-cutting activities.

From January 1st 2016, he created and was appointed Director of Innovation, Applications and science Directorate (DIA), a new structure tasked with supporting the interests, requirements and challenges of all potential users and providers of space systems and space data.

Since August 28th 2017, Lionel Suchet is CNES Chief Operating Officer. He is also the Vice-President of the International Astronautical Federation (IAF).

VLAD HRUBY

Education:     PhD, Tufts University, 1982

                        EAA, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1975

MS, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1975

BS, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1973

Professional Experience: Dr. Hruby has more than 40 years of professional experience.  In 1985 he founded Busek Co. Inc., a company concentrated on advanced energy conversion and in-space propulsion.  Today the firm employs a staff of 70 in the research, design, manufacture, and test of electric propulsion components and systems for a range of commercial, civil, defense customers. Dr. Hruby is a recognized expert in the field of electric propulsion.  He holds numerous thruster patents including Hall effect, ion, and electrospray thrusters, as well as cathodes and power processing designs.  He is the inventor on four fundamental patents relating to the design of Hall thrusters plus two patents specific to unique aspects of Hall thruster operation.

Publications and Honors: Dr. Hruby has authored over 100 technical publications covering a broad range of topics including electric propulsion, magnetohydrodynamics, plasma physics, fluid mechanics, material science and power electronics.  He is a AIAA Fellow, AIAA Region 1 Engineer of the Year, past chairman of the AIAA Electric Propulsion Technical Committee and member of the Plasma Dynamics Technical Committee, recipient of NASA Exceptional Public Achievement Medal, NASA Group Achievement Award, and Association Aeronautique et Astronautique de France Award for contributions to Space Propulsion Community

JEAN-MARIE BETERMIER

Graduated from Polytechnique, Supaero, IEP Toulouse, Jean-Marie Bétermier started his career at CNES, the French Space Agency in the Technical Department.

Jean-Marie integrated then the CS (Communication & Systems) Group, and had several management positions.

In 2001, after CS was acquired by the Gunnebo AB Group, Jean-Marie held several positions of CEO for different BU of the Group. From 2008 to 2012, he was the CEO of IER the terminal and system division for Airport and Airlines ticketing solutions in Bolloré Group.

Since 2012 he has been managing the Safran Data Systems activity.

In 2021, Jean-Marie was appointed Space Vice President of Safran Electronics & Defense and became head of the New Business Group gathering all Safran Space activities: Ground Segment, Electric Propulsion, High End Optical solutions, Inertial Navigation unit, Electronics Power Supply, Avionics, Instrumentation. This business Group gathers namely the following companies Safran Data Systems, Safran Reosc, Safran Spacecraft Propulsion, the Space activities of Safran Electronic & Defense and Syrlinks. Jean-Marie remains CEO of Safran Data Systems.