Eric C. Anderson is one of the leading entrepreneurs in the space industry.
He has led the development of commercial human spaceflight and the space
tourism industry since its inception, and is a true astropreneur (as coined by
Wired magazine). Mr. Anderson co-founded Space Adventures, Ltd. in 1998 with
several former astronauts and leading visionaries from the aerospace, adventure
travel and entertainment industries.
Since founding, and having served as President and CEO of Space Adventures,
Mr. Anderson has led the world's premier space tourism company through several
successful years and has sold more than $120 million (USD) in spaceflights,
including those taken by the first and only four tourists who have actually
flown to space: Dennis Tito, Mark Shuttleworth, Greg Olsen and Anousheh
Ansari.
He has developed and financed over $500 million (USD) in new projects for
Space Adventures, including two global spaceports and the first private voyage
to the moon, set to launch in 2010. Under Mr. Anderson's direction, Space
Adventures remains the leader of the space tourism industry through the
continuous launches of commercial passengers to the International Space
Station, the recent offering of a circumlunar mission and through future
suborbital spaceflights.
Mr. Anderson is an oft-seen broadcast interviewee, including multiple
appearances on the Today Show (NBC), Good Morning America (ABC), Your World
with Neil Cavuto (Fox News), Fox & Friends (Fox News), CNN Headline News and
BBC World. He is also a guest speaker and lecturer on various topics within the
aviation/aerospace and travel industries. Recent speaking engagements include
WIRED NextFest, The WTTC Global Travel & Tourism Summit, and The Forbes CEO
Forum.
Mr. Anderson also co-authored the Space Tourist's Handbook,
published in 2005 with bestselling author Joshua Piven.
As an outspoken advocate of commercial space transportation, private space
exploration and space tourism, Mr. Anderson's vision is to open the space
frontier to all private citizens which will then enable the development of
space resources for the benefit of humanity.
Previously, Mr. Anderson was the principal and co-founder of Starport.com,
later sold to SPACE.com in 2000. Mr. Anderson was also lead engineer and
business development lead for aerospace software firm Analytical Graphics,
Inc., and has held various consulting and research positions with NASA, where
he authored several technical papers, articles and evaluations on topics
ranging from space tourism and launch-vehicle analysis to the business and
economics of various space-related ventures.
Mr. Anderson graduated magna cum laude from the University of Virginia with
a degree in aerospace engineering, and was selected by USA Today as one of the
nation's Top 40 university graduates of 1996. In 2006, he received the
University of Virginia Engineering Foundation Outstanding Young Engineering
Graduate Award. He is 32 years old and lives in Vienna, Virginia. He is a
member of the Standard & Poor's Society of Industry Leaders, the World Travel
and Tourism Council and the Young Presidents Organization, and is a Board
member of the X Prize Foundation and Zero-G Corporation.
Mr. Anderson has remained in high demand internationally as a speaker since
co-founding Space Adventures in 1998 and making history by launching the
world's first private space travelers to orbit. As a speaker, his experience
includes delivering keynote addresses to large corporate, educational, and
non-profit audiences, and detailed interviews and feature appearances in
television news and educational programs.
Commercial space has undergone a renaissance of market activity within the
past decade owing largely to shifting paradigms and new business models. Mr.
Anderson draws heavily upon the lessons he learned in creating the world's
first space tourism company and pioneering new perceptions of the commercial
use of space in his speeches.
