Harris names Rajeev Badyal to space advisory group
VICE PRESIDENT Kamala Harris has named Indian American Rajeev Badyal to a key national space advisory group, which is tasked to maintain a robust and responsible US space enterprise and preserve space for current and future generations, the White House has said.
Badyal, vice-president of Project Kuiper of Amazon, is among the 30 space experts named by Harris to the council's Users Advisory Group (UAG) on December 16.
Harris had named US Air Force Rtd General Lester Lyles as chair of the UAG.
Project Kuiper is a long-term initiative to launch a constellation of Low Earth Orbit satellites that will provide low-latency, highspeed broadband connectivity to unserved and underserved communities around the world.
Previously he was the vice president of satellites at SpaceX.
He has a Masters in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Oregon State University.
The National Space Council (NSpC) is the White House policy council responsible for ensuring the United States capitalizes on the rich opportunities presented by the country's space activities. Under the leadership of its chair, Vice President Kamala Harris, the NSpC advises and assists the president on the development and implementation of space policy and strategy and is comprised of Cabinet-level Secretaries and other senior executive branch officials.
The UAG will provide the NSpC advice and recommendations on matters related to space policy and strategy, including but not limited to, government policies, laws, regulations, treaties, international instruments, programmes, and practices across the civil, commercial, international, and national security space sectors, the White House said in a statement.