(March 31, 2026 – Washington, DC) – Space & Satellite Professionals International, SSPI, presented the 2026 Promise Awards to Joshua Ingersoll of Amazon Leo for Government, Natasha Nogueira of Planet, and Faizan Rehmatullah of MDA Space at the Night of Excellence in Washington, DC, Tuesday, March 24, 2026. The Promise Awards honor three members of SSPI’s 2025 20 Under 35 class whose early-career achievement, leadership, and example stood out among an already exceptional cohort. They are, in every sense, first among firsts, recognized not as a separate class apart from their peers, but as three remarkable representatives of a generation helping to define the future of the space and satellite industry. Presented this year at SSPI’s Night of Excellence, the awards formed part of an evening dedicated to honoring excellence across the arc of a career, from rising leaders to members of the Space & Satellite Hall of Fame. “Every year, the 20 Under 35 class reminds us how much talent, seriousness of purpose, and imagination already lives inside this industry,” said Tamara Bond-Williams, Executive Director of SSPI. “The Promise Awards give us a way to pause and recognize three individuals whose achievements and example shine with particular force. They are not separate from the promise of their generation. They are first among firsts.” One of the night’s most memorable moments came from Promise Award honoree Joshua Ingersoll, who made an impassioned appeal for the industry to continue hiring interns and entry-level talent. Speaking to the pressures AI is placing on traditional hiring practices, he argued that the industry must protect and cultivate the human talent pipeline if it hopes to build the resilience, judgment, and long-term strength needed to complement AI in the years ahead. The 20 Under 35 honorees are selected through SSPI’s annual recognition process by jurists drawn from across the industry. From that accomplished group, the Promise Award honorees are then evaluated by members of the Space & Satellite Hall of Fame, who provide a second layer of review. In making that selection, Hall of Fame jurists looked for evidence not only of outstanding early-career achievement, but also of leadership and service beyond the workplace as defining elements of the award. The 2026 Promise Award Honorees Joshua Ingersoll
Senior Product Manager – Lasercom, Amazon Leo for Government Joshua Ingersoll is Senior Product Manager for Lasercom at Amazon Leo for Government, where he leads the development of advanced optical communications products for government users interfacing with Amazon’s low earth orbit broadband satellite network. His work sits at the intersection of engineering, policy, and product strategy, defining end-to-end product lifecycles, managing technical trade-offs, and aligning secure, high-bandwidth communications solutions with national security and government mission requirements. Across roles in commercial space, regulation, and public service, Josh has built a career focused on connecting underserved communities and translating complex space systems into durable public benefit. Read More Natasha Nogueira
Senior Space Systems Engineer, Planet Natasha Nogueira is a Senior Space Systems Engineer at Planet, where she has played a defining role in how one of the world’s largest Earth observation fleets is launched, commissioned, and operated. Combining deep on-orbit operational expertise with a systems-level perspective, she has led some of Planet’s most complex commissioning campaigns and driven structural changes that significantly improved reliability, scalability, and time-to-revenue. Over nearly seven years at Planet, Natasha has become a trusted operational leader, relied upon at the most critical moments of mission execution. Read More Faizan Rehmatullah
Senior Guidance, Navigation and Controls Engineer, MDA Space Faizan Rehmatullah is a Senior Guidance, Navigation and Controls Engineer at MDA Space and the Architect for some of Canada’s most significant planetary robotics programs. With more than a decade of experience across lunar and Mars exploration missions, his work spans mission and system architecture definition, technical trades, and mission-critical design decisions. He is currently responsible for defining core architectures for programs tied to the Artemis initiative, where design choices carry long-term operational and national consequences. His leadership positions Canadian engineering at the center of international deep-space exploration efforts. Read More
About SSPI
Founded in 1983, Space & Satellite Professionals International (SSPI) is on a mission to strengthen the people pipeline that powers space and satellite innovation. Through recognition, storytelling, professional connection, and leadership development, SSPI helps the industry attract, develop, and honor the talent it needs to thrive in a period of rapid change and opportunity. SSPI’s work spans the full arc of a career, from emerging leaders to industry veterans, while also telling the larger story of why space and satellite matter to the world. This year’s Night of Excellence reflected that mission by bringing rising stars and established legends into one shared moment of recognition.
For More Information
Auri Yates
Communications Manager
Space & Satellite Professionals International
auri@sspi.org |
