The Vaxon Team
Dr Steven P. Shepard
Co-Founder and CEO
Dr Steven P. Shepard brings over 21 years of hands-on expertise in satellite design and advanced systems development. As Senior R&D Program Manager at Lockheed Martin, he directed more than 100 engineers while stewarding a $30M budget for power, propulsion and counter-directed energy portfolios. A trusted industry advisor to the Space Force, NASA, DoD, and the University of Michigan Aerospace Engineering, Steven also authored the best-selling book Vanquishing Cancer, fusing engineering excellence with profound personal insight.
Lieutenant Colonel Anand Shah
Co-Founder and COO
Colonel (Ret.) Anand Shah brings battle-tested expertise in space systems acquisition to Vaxon Space as Co-Founder and COO. As a retired Air Force program manager, he led Acquisitions Intelligence, served as Deputy Division Chief for Execution and Oversight, Deputy Program Manager for SATCOM and AEHF at the Space and Missile Systems Center and Chief of Flight Sciences and Payload Analysis at the National Reconnaissance Office. Anand's proven oversight in high-stakes payload integration and mission reliability drives Vaxon's ABEP platforms to exceed DoD standards, ensuring seamless scaling from prototype to orbit.
Dr Benjamin Jorns
Co-Founder and CSA
As co-founder and Chief Science Advisor at Vaxon Space, Dr. Benjamin Jorns leads the nation's premier university electric propulsion facility as Associate Professor of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Michigan, where he directs the Plasmadynamics and Electric Propulsion Laboratory. With a background at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, he has secured landmark funding including leading the Space Force SPAR institute and capturing multiple DARPA programs focused on VLEO propulsion breakthroughs. Serving as Co-PI for NASA’s JANUS electric propulsion consortium, Ben drives pioneering research in space plasmadynamics and sustainable orbital technologies.
Dr Iain Boyd
Director: National Security Initiatives, CU-Boulder (Strategic Partner)
Dr. Iain Boyd, Strategic Partner at Vaxon Space, stands as a global authority in hypersonics and space plasma physics, with over 30 years advancing computational simulations of nonequilibrium gases and plasmas. As Professor of Aerospace Engineering Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder and Director of the Center for National Security Initiatives, he has authored more than 200 peer-reviewed journal articles and earned the Chief of Staff of the Air Force Award for his foundational work in aerothermodynamics, hypersonics and electric propulsion. A frequent keynote speaker on VLEO challenges, Iain's insights propel cutting-edge aerospace defenses and explorations.
Advisory Board
Lieutenant General Joseph Anderson
Retired Deputy Chief of Staff, US Army
Lieutenant General (Ret.) Joseph Anderson serves as a pivotal advisor to Vaxon Space, leveraging his visionary leadership as President & CEO of Rafael Systems Global Sustainment and former Deputy Chief of Staff of the US Army. He commanded the XVIII Airborne Corps, led the International Security Assistance Force Joint Command in Afghanistan and directed operations as Deputy Commanding General of US Forces there, amassing unparalleled experience in multinational coalitions and crisis management. Joe's strategic acumen in global operations and program oversight fortifies Vaxon Space's mission-critical pursuits.
Dr Nelson Pedreiro
SVP of Hardware, Zoox
Dr. Nelson Pedreiro, Senior Vice President of Hardware at Zoox, spearheads autonomous systems innovation with a rigorous engineering lens. Over 28 years at Lockheed Martin, he ascended to Vice President and Chief Engineer of Space, where he led technical execution across satellite and missile programs, as well as resilient defense hardware that fueled NASA and DoD missions. A PhD in Aerospace Engineering from Stanford University and member of the National Academy of Engineering, Nelson excels in scalable tech integration under high-stakes constraints. As a Vaxon Space advisor, he bolsters VLEO ABEP programs, refining inlet resilience to atomic oxygen erosion and fast-tracking dual-use payloads for imaging, missile navigation and low-latency comms in contested orbits.