Retired Navy Admiral to Lead Commercial Spaceflight Federation

WASHINGTON — Retired U.S. Navy Adm. Craig Steidle is taking the helm of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation (CSF), becoming the 5-year-old organization’s first full-time president, effective May 15. An announcement is planned for April 13 at the National Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colo.

The former director of the Pentagon’s Joint Strike Fighter program joined NASA in 2004 as the first associate administrator of the then-newly created Exploration Systems Mission Directorate.

“We could not have found a more qualified candidate to lead the Commercial Spaceflight Federation than Admiral Steidle," Eric Anderson, Space Adventures chief executive and chairman of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation  said in a statement.  "He is a true visionary who knows that commercial spaceflight is the key to unlocking humanity’s future in space, and he is a proven manager and engineer who understands what is necessary to make our dream of becoming a true space-faring people a reality.”  

Steidle will succeed Brett Alexander, who has served as the Washington-based private spaceflight advocacy organization’s president since its 2006 founding.

This story was provided by Space News, dedicated to covering all aspects of the space industry.