Mounir Alafrangy is the commercial innovation manager and technology lead for the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory. With an MS in mechanical and aerospace engineering from The George Washington University (GWU), Alafrangy has more than 20 years of entrepreneurial experience spearheading several innovations from concept to prototype. He has provided project management in diverse fields, including mechanical and systems engineering, and has led prototype development. In October 2019, Alafrangy successfully completed a 45-day confined space mission at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. He was one of four crew members, known as analog astronauts, who were selected from a large pool of applicants to be part of the Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA) Mission XX. HERA is a ground-based analog used by NASA’s Human Research Program to study the effects of isolation and confinement on humans. The research being done there will help NASA better understand the hazards of human spaceflight as the agency prepares to send astronauts to the Moon and on to Mars and bring them home safely. During his analog mission to the Martian moon of Phobos, Alafrangy participated in activities similar to those performed on the International Space Station, such as simulated cargo transfers with the Canadarm, virtual spacewalks, lunar landing control, spaceship maintenance, and sample evaluation.

While completing his degree at GWU, Alafrangy’s research focused on creating mechanisms that will mitigate the physiological risks associated with long-duration space travel and improve human health on deep space missions.

Twyman Clements is the Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Space Tango. Twyman leads a multidisciplinary team to deliver automated products that operate in the microgravity environment of low Earth-orbit (LEO). Under Twyman’s leadership, Space Tango is maturing these research and hardware capabilities for sustainable manufacturing in space where microgravity is an asset to both the production process and its partners. Space Tango continues to excel in providing efficient and cost-effective product development cycles and rapid delivery of configurable systems to Fortune 500 companies, startups, research  foundations, and academic institutions.

Prior to Space Tango, Twyman served as  a senior space engineer at Kentucky Space where he developed high altitude balloons, CubeSats, and other ISS hardware. Twyman received  a bachelor’s and master’s degree from the University of Kentucky in mechanical engineering where he first began developing the original product architecture for Space Tango. Twyman is frequently recognized for Space Tango’s innovative contributions to developing a new market infrastructure in LEO and is recognized in the Kentucky Entrepreneur Hall of Fame.

Marc Giulianotti is Senior Manager, In Space Biomanufacturing at Sierra Space. His primary efforts are focused on positively impacting humankind by advancing transformative technologies in the area of in-space biomanufacturing.   Previously Marc was the Director of Science and Techology with the International Space Station (ISS) U.S. National Laboratory. Part of his activities in this role include managing the Chips in Space programs cosponsored by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences and National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering as well as the Tissue Engineering and Mechanobiology in Space Programs cosponsored by the National Science Foundation. Prior to joining the ISS National Lab Marc spent 20+ years working in early drug discovery efforts at the Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies. He received his BS in Chemistry/Biochemistry from UCSD, his MBA from SDSU and his PhD in Chemistry from USF.

Justin Kugler is the General Manager of Redwire In-Space Manufacturing & Operations in Jacksonville, FL, where he leads technical and business operations for the company’s strategic focus areas in On-Orbit Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing, LEO Commercialization, and Satellite Missions. He has B.S. and M.S. engineering degrees from Texas A&M and Rice University, respectively, and certification in strategic foresight from the University of Houston. Over the past two decades, Mr. Kugler previously created the industrial R&D portfolio for the International Space Station National Laboratory, led microgravity research management for the NASA ISS Program Office, developed crew training simulations for the NASA Constellation Program, and served as an aerospace systems analyst for the CIA.