Mike Curtis-Rouse

Architect of the Orbital Economy | ISAM Leader | Infrastructure for the Commercial Space Age

Greater Oxford Area

About

Building the infrastructure for the orbital economy — from ISAM and space manufacturing to offworld logistics, energy, and autonomous operations. Strategy-led, industry-facing, future-focused. I am a leading proponent of In-orbit Servicing, Assembly and Manufacturing (ISAM) — a domain I believe will define the next industrial era. With a background spanning robotics, advanced manufacturing, satellite systems, and national mission delivery, I focus on building the infrastructure that will power the off world economy: from autonomous drones and orbital logistics to scalable space manufacturing and servicing platforms. I’ve led national programmes in in-orbit demonstration, directed field trials for ExoMars, and steered UK efforts in advanced additive manufacturing at ESA — helping turn ambitious concepts into operational reality. I bring senior leadership experience in the development and deployment of national and international capabilities, drawing on a career in the British Army and roles with organisations including ESA, UK Space Agency, DARPA, ASTM, and BSI. My approach is mission-driven, technically grounded, and strategically disruptive — built around connecting innovation to implementation at speed and scale.

Experience

  • Satellite Applications Catapult (Full-time · 8 yrs 8 mos)
    • Head of ISAM (In-Orbit Servicing Assembly and Manufacturing)
      Jul 2023 - Present · 3 yrs

      Leading the Catapult’s ISAM team to shape and deliver the critical infrastructure required to support servicing, assembly, manufacturing, debris mitigation, and other foundational capabilities. This work is central to unlocking the full potential of commercial space and ensuring that our society and industries are ready to thrive in an increasingly off world future.

    • Head of Access to Space - Going Beyond Earth
      Oct 2021 - Aug 2023 · 1 yr 11 mos

      As Head of Access to Space, I lead a multi-disciplinary team of engineers, technologists, and analysts with mission heritage in spacecraft, launch and operations combined with expertise from automotive, manufacturing and the maritime sectors. Our ambition is to ensure that the UK sits in the vanguard of this new era, being competitive in technologies including propulsion development and testing, In-Orbit Servicing and Manufacturing (IOSM) , devolved operation centres, space situational awareness, solar energy from space, high density energy sources for the Moon and Deep Space, and In-situ Resource Utilisation (ISRU).

    • Head of Manufacturing for Space
      Nov 2017 - Oct 2021 · 4 yrs

      Advanced manufacturing and materials evangelist for upstream technologies for space including launch vehicles, spacecraft and supply chain technologies exploiting capabilities from current and future manufacturing technologies.

  • CEO & Co-Founder at SecondStar
    Oct 2022 - May 2025 · 2 yrs 8 mos

    Shifting Space Industry Paradigms with Simple, Scalable, and Sustainable Space Propulsion.

  • Chief Experience Officer at Space Store
    Sep 2018 - Aug 2022 · 4 yrs

    Bringing space to earth Space Store is an experiential store dedicated to bringing space to everyone, everywhere, every day. As the CXO I create new experiences based on the reality of space today, yesterday and opportunities for the future.

  • Officer Commanding Senior Division, Oxford UOTC at British Army
    Apr 2019 - Mar 2022 · 3 yrs

    Development, mentoring and training for Lawrence Company, the Senior Division of Oxford University Officers Training Corp.

  • Lead Manufacturing Technologist at Reaction Engines
    Dec 2017 - Aug 2018 · 9 mos

    Seconded from Satellite Applications Catapult to aid the exploition of the unique technologies that Reaction Engines Ltd have developed for SABRE, a hypersonic precooled hybrid air-breathing rocket engine, for commerical applications across a wide variety of industrial sectors.