Axiom Space, a key player in commercial space infrastructure development, has appointed Tejpaul Bhatia as its new chief executive officer. The announcement, made on April 25th, elevates Bhatia from his previous role as Chief Revenue Officer, a position he held since 2021. He succeeds Kam Ghaffarian, co-founder and executive chairman, who had served as interim CEO since August.
Ghaffarian's interim leadership followed the departure of Michael Suffredini, who served as CEO for eight years. Suffredini's resignation was attributed to personal reasons. In a statement, Ghaffarian highlighted Bhatia's accomplishments as Chief Revenue Officer as a primary factor in his appointment. He emphasized Bhatia’s success in securing over $1 billion in contracts, including overseeing the company’s pioneering private astronaut missions to the International Space Station.
“Axiom Space was founded to expand the boundaries of what’s possible in space, and Tej has been instrumental in turning that vision into a reality,” Ghaffarian stated. “His blend of entrepreneurial drive, global perspective and deep commitment to our mission will ensure Axiom Space’s leadership at the forefront of the rapidly growing commercial space market.”
Bhatia brings a wealth of experience to the role. Prior to joining Axiom Space, he was involved in Google's cloud computing business. His background also includes founding and leading several startups and contributing to ESPN's video streaming operations. “I’ve been inspired by space exploration since childhood, and leading Axiom Space at this critical inflection point in human spaceflight is the realization of a lifelong ambition,” Bhatia shared.
Axiom Space's ambitious projects extend beyond its private astronaut missions (the fourth of which is scheduled for launch in May). The company is actively developing a private space station and holds a significant NASA contract for the development of spacesuits for the Artemis lunar missions. Recently, Axiom announced plans to deploy orbital data centers on satellites built by Kepler Communications, a step towards creating larger data centers utilizing their space station technology.