Hiring of Sarah Walter as the new COO announced by True Anomaly

In a significant move for the space industry, Sarah Walter has been appointed as the Chief Operating Officer at True Anomaly. Known for her advocacy of agile engineering practices, Walter brings a wealth of experience to the table.

Before her new role, Walter was the VP of Engineering at York Space Systems, where she led the development of Tranche 1 satellites for the Space Development Agency's Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture. Her career in the space sector also includes stints at Nissan Europe and Valeo.

Walter's primary focus at True Anomaly is the MX-3 and the Victus Haze mission. She emphasises the importance of empowering engineers to make decisions for an agile engineering culture. "Failures, supplier issues, or design issues are not the main obstacles to going fast," she states, "but the speed of decision-making is."

True Anomaly is currently building two Jackal spacecraft. One is for the Space Force-backed Victus Haze mission, and the other is an internal demo. The development of these complex systems for the Space Force includes intricate software, avionics, and powerful thrusters.

Walter is drawn to True Anomaly due to the company's handling of challenges in getting its first vehicles up. True Anomaly lost contact with its first Jackal spacecraft during Mission X-1, but regained contact during Mission X-2. However, the company has not shared any updates about the test campaign.

Walter is confident in the success of the MX-3 and the Victus Haze mission, based on what she's seen so far. She also expresses high praise for Jackal, stating that it is a highly agile, capable autonomous vehicle.

Walter advocates for a supportive environment where engineers can drive solutions rapidly, even if they don't make perfect decisions. She is a proponent of the "go fast, fail, learn and repeat" approach.

True Anomaly recently raised a $260M Series C round earlier this year, which will undoubtedly aid in the advancement of their projects. With Sarah Walter on board, the company is poised to make significant strides in the space industry.