SpaceX Senior Vice President Tom Ochinero Steps Down

One of SpaceX’s senior executives, Tom Ochinero, has resigned from his position as senior vice president of commercial business. Ochinero, who has been with the company for over a decade, is leaving to attend to a family medical matter. This departure marks a rare high-level exit from Elon Musk’s space company.

During his tenure, Ochinero played a crucial role in expanding SpaceX’s market share in launching commercial satellites. He was responsible for over a billion dollars of annual revenue, according to his biography from a space industry conference last year. Ochinero also oversaw multiple deals for privately crewed spaceflights.

Stephanie Bednarek, SpaceX’s senior director of commercial launch sales, is set to take over Ochinero’s role at the company. Bednarek’s appointment comes as SpaceX prepares for the third test flight of its next-generation Starship rocket and expands its Starlink satellite internet business.

SpaceX already holds a near monopoly on the U.S. satellite launch market, thanks to its workhorse Falcon rockets and the struggles of its competitors to develop operational rockets. With Ochinero’s departure, the company will continue to forge ahead with its ambitious plans in the space industry.

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