Speaker Bio
José Mariano López-Urdiales is arguably the first NewSpace entrepreneur in the EU. Back in 2009 he founded Zero 2 Infinity with the Vision to make Space accessible. Since then has been collecting firsts (first Space Tourism pressurized capsule in Near Space, first company to launch a rocket from Near Space, first European private company to fly heavy payloads to Near Space on zero emission balloons...). His seminal work is unlocking the power of Near Space, above where airplanes fly, and below where satellites orbit. López-Urdiales graduated (Valedictorian) in Aeronautical Engineering from the Polytechnic University of Madrid (UPM) in 2000 and in 2004 from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He has worked at the European Space Agency (ESA), Boeing Phantom Works, and Boston Consulting Group. He is frequently requested to lecture on topics from Space Propulsion to Entrepreneurial Innovation. He has three children and loves cooking and mountain biking.