Rwanda’s E-Space adds senior staff
August 26, 2022
By Chris Forrester
Rwanda is backing a scheme to launch 300,000 satellites into low Earth orbit. The project, E-Space, is being advised as CEO by serial satellite entrepreneur Greg Wyler (who was instrumental in forming O3b and OneWeb). E-Space is now hiring senior staffers.
Production of the satellite fleet is due to commence next year. E-Space has now hired Gunjan Murarka as its CFO. He worked at satellite builder LeoStella. Another hire is Dalibor Djuran, as chief satellite systems engineer. He was previously at Earth observation specialists Planet Labs.
The pair will operate from the company’s new offices at Los Gatos, California as well as premises in Florida, Boston and Washington DC.
The hiring will see today’s 60 staff near-doubled to around 100 by year-end. E-Space achieved a $50 million financing round in February this year.
The operator launched three test satellites in May using a Rocket Lab Electron rocket.
Its next test batch will reportedly be launched in the first half of 2023 and they will be close to the eventual production units.