According to sources, a senior executive at SpaceX is departing, marking a noteworthy high-level exit from Elon Musk’s aerospace enterprise.
Tom Ochinero, who served as the senior vice president of commercial business, tendered his resignation on Monday, as per individuals familiar with the situation. They revealed that Ochinero’s decision stemmed from a family medical concern, preferring anonymity to discuss internal company affairs.
SpaceX has not issued a response to the inquiry regarding Ochinero’s departure. Among SpaceX’s cadre of senior executives, many of whom have tenure exceeding a decade, Ochinero has a longstanding history. Initially joining the company as an engineer, he played a pivotal role in the design of the nosecone utilized in the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets.
Elevated to the position of spearheading the sales of SpaceX rockets and astronaut missions in 2019, Ochinero oversaw the consistent expansion of the company’s market dominance in commercial satellite launches. His tenure also witnessed numerous agreements for privately funded spaceflights.
A space industry conference biography noted Ochinero’s responsibility for generating “over a billion dollars of annual revenue” at SpaceX. He reported directly to Gwynne Shotwell, the company’s President and Chief Operating Officer.
Sources informed that Stephanie Bednarek, currently SpaceX’s senior director of commercial launch sales, is poised to assume Ochinero’s responsibilities within the company.
Ochinero’s departure coincides with SpaceX’s preparation for the third test flight of its advanced Starship rocket and the amplification of its Starlink satellite internet venture. The company has already solidified its dominance in the U.S. satellite launch sector, owing to the reliability of its Falcon rockets and the operational challenges faced by competitors in deploying competing rockets.
