Maxar Space Names Frank Pelkofer, Melissa Kornspan COOs

Maxar Space Systems has appointed technology executives Frank Pelkofer and Melissa Kornspan as chief operating officer for spacecraft production and COO for operations transformation, respectively.

In separate LinkedIn posts published Wednesday, Pelkofer and Kornspan said they look forward to partnering to further advance space technology.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Pelkofer will be responsible for spacecraft assembly, integration and testing, ground software and simulations, and security, among others.

As COO for operations transformation, Kornspan will oversee unit-level manufacturing, operational improvements, enterprise tools, IT, cybersecurity and manufacturing strategy.

Frank Pelkofer’s Career Highlights

Pelkofer most recently served as vice president of operations at Maxar Space Systems.

Since joining Maxar in 2019, the MIT graduate has held roles of increasing responsibility, including VP of systems engineering and VP of advanced space programs.

The retired U.S. Navy veteran spent nearly two decades at SSL, where he held various leadership roles, including VP of spacecraft systems engineering, executive director of solar array and deployable products, and thermal engineering manager.