MCLEAN, Va. – September 18, 2018 – Aireon LLC, developer of the world’s first space-based global air traffic surveillance service has announced that Denise Olmsted recently joined Aireon as General Counsel. Olmsted will lead corporate governance, regulatory and compliance matters and international contracts for Aireon.
“Denise is going to contribute immensely to Aireon as we transition into an operational service and beyond. With her international contracts expertise and familiarity with the aerospace industry, she will be a major asset to Aireon, expediting the customer onboarding and acquisition process.” said Don Thoma, CEO, Aireon. “We look forward to her leadership in helping us shape the future of Aireon and the delivery of this groundbreaking service.”
Olmsted joins Aireon with over 15 years of experience working in the satellite industry within the realm of legal matters, contracts and regulations. She most recently served as Vice President of Commercial Legal Affairs for Intelsat Corporation, where she managed legal and contractual matters and oversaw all regulatory, trade compliance, market access, intellectual property and antitrust matters. Prior to Intelsat, Olmsted worked for G2 Satellite Solutions Inc. and New Skies Networks N.V., where she served as Assistant General Counsel and Senior Legal Counsel, respectively.
“I’m in awe of Aireon’s dedication to enhancing safety for the entire aviation industry. The team is an incredible group of people all working towards a common goal,” said Olmsted. “With my background in the satellite industry coupled with international contracts knowledge, I’m excited to apply my experiences at Aireon, to assist the company in ushering in a new chapter of their service. It’s going to be a very exciting time.”
Aireon announced on July 25, 2018 that the seventh launch of the Iridium® NEXT satellites was successful. Each Iridium NEXT satellite hosts an Aireon Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) payload. There is a total of 65 Iridium NEXT satellites in orbit, 60 of which are operational. This leaves just a single launch of 10 more Iridium NEXT satellites and their Aireon payloads before the launch campaign concludes later this year. Aireon is set to go live with its air traffic surveillance service at the end of 2018.
