Former OpenAI Executive Kevin Weil Joins Stoke Space Board as Rocket Startup Builds Nova

Stoke Space has appointed former OpenAI executive Kevin Weil to its board of directors as the company continues developing Nova, its fully reusable medium-lift launch vehicle. The addition brings an executive with leadership experience across artificial intelligence, social media, and space technology to the aerospace startup as it works toward commercial operations.

Weil has spent more than two decades in senior product and technology leadership roles at OpenAI, Planet Labs, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. During that time, he helped guide product strategy and development for widely used technology platforms, participated in the management teams that took Twitter and Planet public, and contributed to the growth of products including Instagram and ChatGPT. Most recently, he served as vice president of science at OpenAI, where his work focused on using artificial intelligence to advance scientific research.

Stoke Space said Weil’s experience building and scaling technology companies aligns with the company’s next stage of growth as it advances Nova, a launch vehicle designed for full and rapid reusability.

“Kevin has built and scaled some of the world’s most important technology companies through periods of extraordinary innovation and growth,” said Andy Lapsa, co-founder and CEO of Stoke Space. “He understands how to transform breakthrough technologies into enduring businesses, build organizations that scale, and guide companies through pivotal moments of growth. As Stoke moves toward commercial operations, his experience will be invaluable as we advance our vision for fully and rapidly reusable space transportation.”

Weil said reusable launch systems will depend on both technical progress and the ability to make space access more practical for customers.

“The next era of space transportation will be defined not only by technical breakthroughs, but also by the ability to make access to space dramatically more reliable, affordable, and routine,” Weil said. “Stoke has assembled one of the strongest engineering teams in aerospace and is pursuing a bold vision for full reusability. I’m excited to join the board and help the company scale its technology, operations, and business.”

Founded in 2020, Stoke Space is developing Nova and other space vehicles intended to support frequent, reusable launches. The company’s technology development has received funding from the United States Space Force, the Defense Innovation Unit, NASA, the National Science Foundation, and other government and private partners.

This analysis is based on reporting from Business Wire.

Image courtesy of Kevin Weil.

This article was generated with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy and quality.