Hiring of Sarah Walter as COO by True Anomaly announced

Sarah Walter, a renowned figure in the space industry, has taken on a new role as the Chief Operating Officer at True Anomaly. With a focus on fostering an agile engineering culture, Walter aims to empower engineers to make decisions that drive quick solutions, even if they aren't perfect.

Walter's attraction to True Anomaly stems from the company's handling of challenges in getting their first vehicles up. She was impressed by their resilience and determination, and believes that failures, supplier issues, or design problems should not hinder speed, but rather, the decision-making process should adapt to overcome these obstacles.

True Anomaly is currently building two Jackal spacecraft: one for the Space Force-backed Victus Haze mission and an internal demo. The Jackal spacecraft, a highly agile, capable autonomous vehicle, is a key component of these projects. The systems being developed for the Space Force are complex, requiring powerful thrusters, intricate software, and avionics.

In her first week at True Anomaly, Walter expressed high confidence in the progress of the projects she's seen. Despite the loss of contact with the first Jackal spacecraft during Mission X-1, Walter is now focusing on Mission X-3 and the Victus Haze mission, aiming to launch a successful bird.

True Anomaly made contact with its Jackal spacecraft during Mission X-2 but did not share any updates about the test campaign. The space mission involving True Anomaly under the project name MX-3 is not explicitly mentioned in the provided search results.

Notably, True Anomaly raised a $260M Series C round earlier this year, demonstrating the company's commitment to innovation and growth in the space industry.

Walter's approach to engineering is rooted in the "go fast, fail, learn and repeat" philosophy. She believes in creating a supportive environment where engineers can drive solutions quickly, even if they don't make perfect decisions. This approach aligns with True Anomaly's ethos, as the company has shown a willingness to learn from past challenges and continue to push the boundaries of space exploration.

At York Space Systems, Sarah Walter led the development of Tranche 1 satellites for the Space Development Agency's Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture. Her extensive experience in the space industry, combined with her emphasis on agility and empowering engineers, makes her an ideal fit for True Anomaly as they continue to push the boundaries of space technology.