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SPW 2024 Welcome Address
Kevin D. Bell
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Kevin D. Bell is the senior vice president of the Engineering and Technology Group (ETG) at The Aerospace Corporation. He assumed this position on October 1, 2023. In this role, he is responsible for leading the group which comprises the corporation’s technical and engineering teams that provide support to all national security and civil space programs in the areas of space and launch vehicles, electronics and sensors, computers and software, communications and networking, and systems engineering and architecting. ETG also includes the corporate physical sciences laboratories and the corporate research portfolio.
Previously, Bell was the senior vice president of the Space Systems Group, where he was responsible for the company’s support to all launch programs, ground networks, and satellite programs overseen by the U.S. Space Force Space Systems Command. Prior to that, Bell was the vice president of Space Program Operations; in that role, he worked directly with the Air Force, government, and industry partners to develop military satellites and to advance national security space systems. Bell oversaw five major mission areas: communications, surveillance, weather, navigation, and space superiority; assisted with the development of system requirements; supported acquisition and development; and solved technical problems to ensure successful operations of space systems. Bell joined Aerospace in 1992 as a member of the technical staff in the Vehicle Systems Division in ETG. Previously, Bell was general manager of the Imagery Programs Division, National Systems Group, and prior to that he was general manager of ETG’s Systems Engineering Division. Bell has also supported the Air Force, NASA, commercial ventures, Missile Defense Agency, and the National Reconnaissance Organization customers, serving as systems director of the Space and Directed Energy Technology Directorate; principal director of the Missile Defense Division, Systems and Technology Subdivision; and principal director of Advanced Research and Engineering, Advanced Technology Division, among other increasingly responsible positions within the corporation’s National Systems Group. Prior to joining Aerospace, Bell held positions in industry, academia, and at the NASA Ames Research Center. |
Keynote Speaker
Mr. Mark Honda
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Mr. Mark Honda is the Space Systems Command Chief Engineer working in the Space Systems Integration Office, United States Space Force. As Chief Engineer, Mr. Honda provides leadership in guiding the Systems-of-Systems integration effort across all portfolios within SSC’s program executive offices, as well as with mission partners in the National Security Space Enterprise.
Prior to this position, Mr. Honda held a variety of technical and leadership positions in industry. He started his career at Hughes Space and Communications (later Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems) in 1995 within the Systems Engineering organization. During this time, he gained experience across the full systems engineering life cycle – from proposals, space vehicle development, unit design and manufacturing, verification and validation, space vehicle integration and test, launch and mission operations, and on-orbit support to customers. In 2004, he was promoted to the Electrical Power and Harness Systems Engineering group manager. Following his tenure with Boeing, in 2008, The Aerospace Corporation recruited Mr. Honda as a Senior Project Engineer in the Space Superiority Systems Department where he also subsequently served as a Senior Project Leader in the Advanced Programs Department. In 2020, Raytheon Space and Intelligence recruited Mr. Honda as an Associate Director working as the Program Area Chief Engineer (PACE) for the Civil, Commercial, and International (CC&I) portfolio. Over his career, Mr. Honda participated in over 25 launch and mission operation campaigns and worked over 13 programs from award through launch across commercial, civil, DoD, and classified customers. He has also earned two patents. (Full Bio) |