He has over 30 years of experience in software engineering, developing complex systems, managing software development teams, and delivering products. He has performed technical due diligence and business strategy assessments for venture capital firms and advanced technology start-ups. In 2013, he left the IT industry to follow his passion for space exploration. Mr. Hurst founded Orbital Transports to develop the space logistics and orbital infrastructure technologies needed for the emerging economy of space resources—and ultimately to support human settlement of the Solar System. Mr. Hurst performs systems engineering and project management for small satellite space missions. He is a contributor to the INCOSE Space Systems Working Group CubeSat System Reference Model and develops MBSE practices for small satellite missions. As an advocate of space-related and space-scalable business, he founded the NewSpace Chicago community of space entrepreneurs and others engaged in building commercial space ventures in Chicago. Mr. Hurst graduated from Northwestern University with a BS in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. He has received four patents. 

During his 25-year Information Technology career, he specialized in strategic business and technology planning and implementation, technical sales/business development, marketing, and communications.
Jeff left the IT industry in 2004 to establish his space career in North Carolina’s Research Triangle area. He quickly conceived the North Carolina Aero/Space* Economic Development Project and received two grants for educating political, business, and economic development leaders about the entrepreneurial NewSpace industry and its significance for the state’s manufacturing sectors. He was the primary researcher and author of The Aero/Space Economy in North Carolina: A Preliminary Assessment of Current Performance and Future Prospects, and a key contributor to North Carolina’s Strategic Plan for Workforce Development in the Aviation and Aerospace Industries. In 2009, The North Carolina Aerospace Alliance retained Jeff to organize the state’s first NewSpace Commerce Forum. In 2010, Jeff led a commercial spaceport exploratory committee involving regional economic development organizations, and the state’s Department of Commerce and Department of Transportation.
From January 2005 through December 2007, Jeff was Executive Director of the Space Frontier Foundation, a non-profit NewSpace advocacy organization. He has been widely recognized for dramatically improving its professional impact, reputation, and operations.
Jeff is a global speaker and strategic thinker, appearing across the United States and Europe, and in Canada, Australia, Singapore, and Hong Kong. He has been interviewed for newspapers, magazines, radio, and television from Los Angeles to Palm Beach, as well as in Europe and Asia.

He is a staff Astronomer at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago and has served as PI on nearly $5M of grant funding, including over $3M of federal grants. He has 15 years of experience managing R&D groups, including the development of a star-tracker for the VERITAS project, novel algorithms for the extraction of high energy events in the presence of spatial and temporal noise, and imaging, control and communications systems for high altitude balloons.
Dr. Gyuk has interests in a broad range of subjects ranging from planetary exospheres to particle-physics cosmology. At the Adler Planetarium, he founded and leads the Far Horizons program, which is a community of amateurs, students and volunteers who design, build, and operate space exploration missions. Currently he is a member of the international VERITAS collaboration, which built and operates the world’s most sensitive TeV gamma-ray observatory. As part of Adler’s NEO followup and AVAST groups, he also studies Near-Earth Objects and the composition of V-type (basaltic) asteroids, thought to be remnants of larger proto-planetary objects. Dr. Gyuk received his degrees at Brown University and the University of Chicago.

He has over 30 years of experience in software engineering, developing complex systems, managing software development teams, and delivering products. He has performed technical due diligence and business strategy assessments for venture capital firms and advanced technology start-ups. In 2013, he left the IT industry to follow his passion for space exploration. Mr. Hurst founded Orbital Transports to develop the space logistics and orbital infrastructure technologies needed for the emerging economy of space resources—and ultimately to support human settlement of the Solar System. Mr. Hurst performs systems engineering and project management for small satellite space missions. He is a contributor to the INCOSE Space Systems Working Group CubeSat System Reference Model and develops MBSE practices for small satellite missions. As an advocate of space-related and space-scalable business, he founded the NewSpace Chicago community of space entrepreneurs and others engaged in building commercial space ventures in Chicago. Mr. Hurst graduated from Northwestern University with a BS in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. He has received four patents. Read less

During his 25-year Information Technology career, he specialized in strategic business and technology planning and implementation, technical sales/business development, marketing, and communications.
Jeff left the IT industry in 2004 to establish his space career in North Carolina’s Research Triangle area. He quickly conceived the North Carolina Aero/Space* Economic Development Project and received two grants for educating political, business, and economic development leaders about the entrepreneurial NewSpace industry and its significance for the state’s manufacturing sectors. He was the primary researcher and author of The Aero/Space Economy in North Carolina: A Preliminary Assessment of Current Performance and Future Prospects, and a key contributor to North Carolina’s Strategic Plan for Workforce Development in the Aviation and Aerospace Industries. In 2009, The North Carolina Aerospace Alliance retained Jeff to organize the state’s first NewSpace Commerce Forum. In 2010, Jeff led a commercial spaceport exploratory committee involving regional economic development organizations, and the state’s Department of Commerce and Department of Transportation.
From January 2005 through December 2007, Jeff was Executive Director of the Space Frontier Foundation, a non-profit NewSpace advocacy organization. He has been widely recognized for dramatically improving its professional impact, reputation, and operations.
Jeff is a global speaker and strategic thinker, appearing across the United States and Europe, and in Canada, Australia, Singapore, and Hong Kong. He has been interviewed for newspapers, magazines, radio, and television from Los Angeles to Palm Beach, as well as in Europe and Asia.

He is a staff Astronomer at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago and has served as PI on nearly $5M of grant funding, including over $3M of federal grants. He has 15 years of experience managing R&D groups, including the development of a star-tracker for the VERITAS project, novel algorithms for the extraction of high energy events in the presence of spatial and temporal noise, and imaging, control and communications systems for high altitude balloons.
Dr. Gyuk has interests in a broad range of subjects ranging from planetary exospheres to particle-physics cosmology. At the Adler Planetarium, he founded and leads the Far Horizons program, which is a community of amateurs, students and volunteers who design, build, and operate space exploration missions. Currently he is a member of the international VERITAS collaboration, which built and operates the world’s most sensitive TeV gamma-ray observatory. As part of Adler’s NEO followup and AVAST groups, he also studies Near-Earth Objects and the composition of V-type (basaltic) asteroids, thought to be remnants of larger proto-planetary objects. Dr. Gyuk received his degrees at Brown University and the University of Chicago.

He has over 30 years of experience in software engineering, developing complex systems, managing software development teams, and delivering products. He has performed technical due diligence and business strategy assessments for venture capital firms and advanced technology start-ups. In 2013, he left the IT industry to follow his passion for space exploration. Mr. Hurst founded Orbital Transports to develop the space logistics and orbital infrastructure technologies needed for the emerging economy of space resources—and ultimately to support human settlement of the Solar System. Mr. Hurst performs systems engineering and project management for small satellite space missions. He is a contributor to the INCOSE Space Systems Working Group CubeSat System Reference Model and develops MBSE practices for small satellite missions. As an advocate of space-related and space-scalable business, he founded the NewSpace Chicago community of space entrepreneurs and others engaged in building commercial space ventures in Chicago. Mr. Hurst graduated from Northwestern University with a BS in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. He has received four patents. Read less

During his 25-year Information Technology career, he specialized in strategic business and technology planning and implementation, technical sales/business development, marketing, and communications.
Jeff left the IT industry in 2004 to establish his space career in North Carolina’s Research Triangle area. He quickly conceived the North Carolina Aero/Space* Economic Development Project and received two grants for educating political, business, and economic development leaders about the entrepreneurial NewSpace industry and its significance for the state’s manufacturing sectors. He was the primary researcher and author of The Aero/Space Economy in North Carolina: A Preliminary Assessment of Current Performance and Future Prospects, and a key contributor to North Carolina’s Strategic Plan for Workforce Development in the Aviation and Aerospace Industries. In 2009, The North Carolina Aerospace Alliance retained Jeff to organize the state’s first NewSpace Commerce Forum. In 2010, Jeff led a commercial spaceport exploratory committee involving regional economic development organizations, and the state’s Department of Commerce and Department of Transportation.
From January 2005 through December 2007, Jeff was Executive Director of the Space Frontier Foundation, a non-profit NewSpace advocacy organization. He has been widely recognized for dramatically improving its professional impact, reputation, and operations.
Jeff is a global speaker and strategic thinker, appearing across the United States and Europe, and in Canada, Australia, Singapore, and Hong Kong. He has been interviewed for newspapers, magazines, radio, and television from Los Angeles to Palm Beach, as well as in Europe and Asia.

He is a staff Astronomer at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago and has served as PI on nearly $5M of grant funding, including over $3M of federal grants. He has 15 years of experience managing R&D groups, including the development of a star-tracker for the VERITAS project, novel algorithms for the extraction of high energy events in the presence of spatial and temporal noise, and imaging, control and communications systems for high altitude balloons.
Dr. Gyuk has interests in a broad range of subjects ranging from planetary exospheres to particle-physics cosmology. At the Adler Planetarium, he founded and leads the Far Horizons program, which is a community of amateurs, students and volunteers who design, build, and operate space exploration missions. Currently he is a member of the international VERITAS collaboration, which built and operates the world’s most sensitive TeV gamma-ray observatory. As part of Adler’s NEO followup and AVAST groups, he also studies Near-Earth Objects and the composition of V-type (basaltic) asteroids, thought to be remnants of larger proto-planetary objects. Dr. Gyuk received his degrees at Brown University and the University of Chicago.