David W. Thompson
| David W. Thompson | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1954 (age 62–63) |
| Alma mater | - Massachusetts Institute of Technology (B.S., Aeronautics and Astronautics, 1976) - California Institute of Technology (M.S., Aeronautics, 1978) - Harvard Business School (MBA, 1981) |
| Known for | American Space Entrepreneur and Orbital Co-Founder and CEO |
| Notable work | Orbital Sciences Corporation |
| Spouse(s) | Catherine Thompson (m. 1983-present) |
| Children | Maggie Thompson |
| Website | www.orbitalatk.com |
David W. Thompson (born 1954) is an American space entrepreneur and President and Chief Executive Officer of Orbital ATK Inc. in Dulles, Virginia. He co-founded Orbital Sciences Corporation in April 1982 and led the company from its inception until its merger with ATK in early 2015, resulting in his current position with the new company.
Thompson is the son of Robert H. (born 1919) and Nancy W. (born 1923) Thompson. He grew up in New Jersey, Georgia, Massachusetts and South Carolina, graduating from Dorman High School in Spartanburg, SC in 1972. He attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology from 1972 to 1976, graduating with a B.S. degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics. He attended the California Institute of Technology from 1977 to 1978, from which he received a M.S. degree in Aeronautics and Jet Propulsion. During college and graduate school, he worked as a summer engineering intern at NASA’s Langley Research Center, Johnson Space Center and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Early in his career, Thompson worked as an aerospace engineer at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, AL from 1978 to 1979, during which time he conceived the original plan for a commercial space company that would focus on privately managed, privately funded rocket development and manufacturing. To pursue this idea, he attended Harvard Business School from 1979 to 1981, graduating with an M.B.A. degree and forming friendships with classmates and future business partners Bruce W. Ferguson and Scott L. Webster. Following business school, Thompson worked in strategic planning at Hughes Aircraft Company in Los Angeles, California, from 1981 to 1982.
Together with partners Ferguson and Webster, Thompson founded Orbital in April 1982. The basic concept for their company was to “bring the benefits of space down to Earth” by providing lower-cost launch vehicles and space systems that would expand the market for space applications from a small set of major government agencies to a wider range of scientific, commercial and international customers. Orbital planned to develop these products with private capital and to design and manufacture them using highly efficient “skunk works” management techniques.
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