Isle of Man based The International Institute of Space Commerce (IISC), the world’s leading open source think tank on the economics and commerce of space, has announced the selection of its new executive director, Robert Alexander.

He said: ’I am very honoured and excited to be given this responsibility.

’The IISC has a unique position in the global space industry, where it serves companies, customers, governments, individuals and investors who daily work beyond our atmosphere.

’We are at a crucial time in human history, where people can make a living beyond the Earth; it is my intent to make the commerce of space more enticing.’

Mr Alexander plans to begin his term with a global outreach effort to recruit both people and corporations in joining the IISC.

’The bigger our global ’’footprint’’, the more doors the IISC will be able to open for our members,’ he explained. ’My dream is to help as many people achieve space flight as possible, and to have a good portion of them make money doing so.’

Joining the IISC as an open member is free, though paid supporting and corporate memberships provide more benefits.

Joining is possible through the website: www.iisc.im

Mr Alexander has worked in various human space flight for the last 20 years, including the Space Shuttle and International Space Station programmes in various capacities with United Space Alliance (a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin).

He was in the private space sector for several years as a member of the NanoRacks team in Houston, Texas.

Most recently, he has been involved with the secondary payload cubesat deployment system on the Space Launch System as an employee of Bastion Technologies at the Marshall Space Flight Centre in Huntsville, Alabama, USA.

Mr Alexander has a Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, as well as a Master of Space Studies degree from the International Space University.

Mr Alexander was selected by the IISC after an exhaustive global search.

Alex Downie, chairman of the Institute, said: ’Speaking for the Board and for all at the Institute, I would like to thank our outgoing executive director, Dr Walter Peeters, who has served since our founding in 2007 and for our first decade as an exemplary leader.

’We wholeheartedly welcome Mr Alexander to his new role and very much look forward to our next 10 years of continued success at the Institute in leading the world in the economics of space.’

Dr Peeters, president of the International Space University, has also now joined the main board of the Institute.

The International Institute of Space Commerce, based on the Isle of Man, is the world’s leading nonpartisan think-tank dedicated to the open source study of the business, economics, and commerce of space.

Its goal is to transform the global discussion on space commerce working to solve the issues it faces today and tomorrow by driving forward the conversation with a marketplace of new ideas by providing this home for the exchange, discussion, and creation of new ideas in space commerce.

Robert Alexander