Electronics Weekly
He will be the new chairman of the company’s management board, and Prof. Dr. Kalnins succeeds Dr. Stefan Tweraser.
Kalnins will lead RFA to achieve the first launch of its three-stage rocket RFA ONE.
Technical progress
The company praised his wide range of expertise and his large professional network within academia and in the space industry. Particularly, it highlighted his experience as a space engineer
“For the tasks that now lie ahead, we are focusing on technical progress and the path to the launchpad,” said Jean-Jacques Dordain, chairman of the supervisory board at RFA.
“With the wide range of skills that Dr. Kalnins brings to a highly motivated team, we believe that RFA is well on its way to continuing to prepare for the first launch attempt as the priority to get access to the market of launch services.”
Indulis Kalnins
At the beginning of this year, RFA officially received its spaceflight operator licence from the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). This was for launches from the SaxaVord Spaceport spaceport – on the Lamba Ness peninsula site in Unst.
“I have known RFA since it was founded almost seven years ago and have always followed its progress with great interest,” said Kalnins. “I have been working with RFA for some time now, so I know that I have a great, motivated, and technically excellent team that is eager to get off to a successful launch as quickly as possible.”
Dr. Stefan Tweraser became the RFA CEO in October 2021. He was previously working with Google, Deezer and the consulting firm McKinsey & Company. He had a doctorate in economics and a range of management experience, highlighted the company at the time.
Image: RFA – Artistic impression of RFA ONE
See also: Saxavord spaceport highlights sovereign space launch capability
