In this episode of She Reaches, host Tanveer Pujara sits down with Laura Crabtree — aerospace engineer, CEO and co-founder of Epsilon3, and one of the Crew Operations & Resource Engineers (CORE) who helped put the United States back in the human spaceflight business.

Before launching Epsilon3 in 2021, Laura spent more than a decade at SpaceX, where she trained astronauts, authored and executed hundreds of procedures, and sat on console for milestone Dragon missions — including the first flight to the ISS and the first commercial crew launch in 2020.

Epsilon3, often described as the “operating system for space missions,” was born from Laura’s first-hand experience with checklists, spreadsheets, and tools that couldn’t keep pace with the complexity of modern space operations. Today, the platform is streamlining workflows not only for spacecraft but also for aviation and other industries with complex technical missions.

Tune in to hear Laura’s founder journey and why she’s passionate about building better tools, mentoring the next generation of women in STEM, and chasing big challenges both in and out of this world.

In SSPI's Accelerate Change podcast series, sponsored by SES, we explore how creative collaboration is transforming the pace of innovation across the space and satellite industry. SES is championing a new era - one where partnerships, agile technologies, and bold ideas are breaking old cycles and building a more connected future. Through conversations with leaders in cloud, telecommunications, sustainability, and space infrastructure, we dive into the stories shaping the next frontier of global connectivity. In the third episode, we hear from Kidsan Barnes, Senior Vice President of Cruise & Ferry at Quvia.

Kidsan Barnes is a distinguished leader in the satellite communications and cruise connectivity industries. She currently serves as the Senior Vice President of Cruise & Ferry at Quvia. With a career marked by innovation and strategic vision, Kidsan has played a pivotal role in driving growth and transformation within her sector.

Kidsan’s leadership philosophy centers on strategic intent, mental clarity, and the joy of leading. Her contributions have not gone unnoticed; she was honored on the South Florida Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” list, recognizing her significant impact on her industry, the economy and community, and also recognized on their Influential Business Women’s list for 2022. Under her leadership, Quvia’s Cruise & Ferry division has seen remarkable advancements, solidifying its position as a leader in the fast-evolving world of satellite communications.

Kidsan’s dedication to excellence and philanthropic contributions are seen in her voluntary board roles for both SSPI and Florida International University where she gained her Executive MBA. She remains an inspiration for those in the industries she serves.

In SSPI's Accelerate Change podcast series, sponsored by SES, we explore how creative collaboration is transforming the pace of innovation across the space and satellite industry. SES is championing a new era - one where partnerships, agile technologies, and bold ideas are breaking old cycles and building a more connected future. Through conversations with leaders in cloud, telecommunications, sustainability, and space infrastructure, we dive into the stories shaping the next frontier of global connectivity.

In the second episode, we hear from three major players at Amazon Web Services: Shayn Hawthorne, General Manager of Space Services, Akanksha Alok, Solutions Architect - Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, and Jonathon Fraker, Senior Account Executive, USSF.

Shayn Hawthorne has worked for over 30 years in the space field, first as an Active Duty and Reserve US Air Force astronautical engineer and space operations officer, building and launching research and development satellites for the Intelligence Community (IC) and conducting both space surveillance and counterspace operations. Shayn also served 20 years at the MITRE Corporation as Technical Director on IC sensors, Missile Defense Agency sensors and engagement systems, and Space Control Operations. Shayn then joined Amazon Web Services where he founded AWS Ground Station, Amazon’s 1st space service, helped start AWS’s Aerospace & Satellite Solutions Division, and developed on-orbit space edge runtimes. Shayn is now AWS’s Principal Advisor for National Security sensors and satellites. In this role Shayn works with customers and builders across AWS to build new enterprises that utilize AWS services and features to disrupt how space operations are conducted.

Akanksha Alok is an Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning professional with a background in computer science from the University of Virginia and an MBA from Johns Hopkins. With over five years at Amazon Web Services, she has held impactful roles-first as a Data Scientist, where she built end-to-end machine learning pipelines, and currently as a Solutions Architect, helping organizations design and scale "intelligent" systems both on the ground and in space. Her expertise spans natural language processing, computer vision, and generative Al, with deep focus areas including agentic workflows, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), context engineering, and large-scale model training and inference. Akanksha is passionate about translating cutting-edge research into practical solutions that drive real-world value.

Jonathon Fraker is a Space Technology and National Security professional specializing in cloud-enabled space operations. At Amazon Web Services, he partners with the U.S. Space Force to implement mission-critical cloud solutions that enhance space operations capabilities. He has also developed new AWS space-edge services, delivering innovative solutions for both government and commercial missions. His expertise spans space mission management, ground systems architecture, and cloud technology integration for space and defense applications. During his tenure at Raytheon Technologies, he led FVEY space programs that pioneered cloud-based Mission Management systems. Jonathon focuses on advancing national space capabilities through commercial innovation, dedicating his career to empowering space and national security partners with transformative technologies.