# Jason Andrews

> Jason Andrews is an American aerospace engineer and entrepreneur based in Seattle. He co-founded Andrews Space with Marian Joh, founded satellite rideshare company Spaceflight and Earth-observation business BlackSky, and later co-founded Orbite with Nicolas Gaume. He is Orbite’s co-founder and CEO, working on space experiences, astronaut preparation and mission services.

- **Role:** Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer at Orbite
- **Organizations:** Orbite, Andrews Space, Spaceflight Inc., Spaceflight Industries, BlackSky, Kistler Aerospace, BigIdea Partners, BluOasis Corporation, Neo Space Group
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** BS in Aerospace Engineering, University of Washington
- **Known for:** Co-founded Andrews Space in 1999., Founded Spaceflight Inc. in 2010 to arrange rideshare launches for small satellites., Founded BlackSky Global in 2013 and served as its president and CEO until 2018.

## Career timeline

- **1994** — Graduated from the University of Washington with a BS in aerospace engineering.
- **1995–1998** — Worked at Kistler Aerospace on the K-1 reusable launch vehicle.
- **1999** — Co-founded Andrews Space with Marian Joh.
- **2010** — Founded Spaceflight Inc. to arrange rideshare launches for small satellites.
- **2013** — Founded BlackSky Global, an Earth-observation business.
- **2015** — Integrated Andrews Space, Spaceflight and BlackSky under Spaceflight Industries; recognized among GeekWire’s Newsmakers of the Year.
- **2016** — BlackSky’s Pathfinder-1 launched aboard an Indian PSLV rocket on September 26.
- **2018** — Separated from Legacy BlackSky in November.
- **2019** — Co-founded Orbite with Nicolas Gaume.
- **2021** — Orbite introduced Astronaut Orientation and announced its training-complex design collaboration with Philippe Starck.
- **2023** — Orbite announced orientation, suborbital and orbital training programs.
- **2024** — Orbite announced a $4 million Series A and an Accor partnership.
- **2025** — Orbite announced distribution partnerships with 7Lifestyle and Xponential Space.
- **2026** — Discussed astronaut preparation in a May Balerion Space interview and the importance of Starship to Orbite’s founding thesis in June.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Andrews Space in 1999.
- Founded Spaceflight Inc. in 2010 to arrange rideshare launches for small satellites.
- Founded BlackSky Global in 2013 and served as its president and CEO until 2018.
- Named among GeekWire’s 2015 Newsmakers of the Year.
- Co-founded Orbite in 2019.
- Orbite’s current biography credits him with raising more than $200 million across his ventures.

## Latest updates

- **2026-06** — Told GeekWire that he and Nicolas Gaume founded Orbite around the expected reductions in cost and increases in flight frequency associated with Starship; these were expectations, not completed capabilities.
- **2026-05** — Appeared on Balerion Space’s BSV Podcast 0124 to discuss astronaut training, mission support and the private astronaut market.
- **2025-05** — Orbite announced partnerships with Xponential Space for Latin America and 7Lifestyle for its clientele.
- **2024-12** — Orbite announced a $4 million Series A funding round and a strategic partnership with Accor.

## Links

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasnandrews/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/JasonEAndrews

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/jason-andrews
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-27