SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Momentus Inc. (the “Company”), a commercial space company offering in-space satellite transportation and infrastructure services, today announced the appointment of Jikun Kim as Chief Financial Officer, effective September 28, 2020.
Mr. Kim’s appointment comes as Momentus prepares for the first commercial launch of Vigoride, the Company’s orbital transfer vehicle designed for last mile, in-space satellite transportation services. Vigoride is scheduled to launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in December 2020. The launch marks the first time Momentus’ vehicles will carry customers, following a successful in-space test of Momentus’ groundbreaking water propulsion technology.
“We are very pleased to have Jikun join our team at this exciting time in Momentus’ growth trajectory,” said Mikhail Kokorich, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Momentus. “He has proven to be a highly capable financial leader in his 20 years of strategic management experience, including serving as the chief financial officer of public and private technology companies. His expertise and counsel will be valuable as we continue to execute on our growth strategy and advance our goal of becoming the premier in-space satellite services company at the forefront of the new space economy.”
Mr. Kim commented, “I am thrilled to join Momentus as the Company prepares for its inaugural commercial launch. Momentus’ target market represents a massive and underappreciated opportunity in a newly emerging industry, and I look forward to being a part of the team that will help enable the future of space transportation and infrastructure services.”
Mr. Kim brings with him an extensive background in corporate finance, treasury, financial planning and analysis, tax, strategic planning and risk management along with experience in leading the finance function of businesses transforming and leading industries. Mr. Kim most recently served as Chief Financial Officer of Formlabs, a leading designer and manufacturer of 3D printing systems. Prior to that, he served as Chief Financial Officer of EMCORE Corporation (Nasdaq: EMKR), a publicly traded advanced fiber optic company focused on the aerospace and defense industries. Mr. Kim has held senior leadership roles at a variety of aerospace and defense companies, including as Chief Financial Officer of Merex Group, AeroVironment, and Raytheon Vision Systems. He received a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley; an M.S. in Electrical Engineering from University of California, Los Angeles; and an MBA in Finance & Marketing from Columbia Business School.
Momentus’ appointment of Mr. Kim as Chief Financial Officer builds upon the Company’s previously announced appointment of Dr. Fred Kennedy, former Director of the Space Development Agency of the U.S. Department of Defense, as President and further expands the Company’s highly-qualified executive team.
About Momentus
As a first mover in building in-space transportation and infrastructure technology, Momentus is at the forefront of the commercialization of space. With an experienced team of aerospace, propulsion, and robotics engineers, Momentus has developed a cost-effective and energy efficient in-space transport system based on plasma water propulsion technology. Momentus has in-place service agreements with Lockheed Martin, NASA, and various other private satellite companies, government agencies, and research organizations, and its first Vigoride™ transport system launch is scheduled for December 2020.
