Erik Daehler is the Vice President of Orbital Systems and Services for the Sierra Space Corporation. In this capacity, he is responsible for the development, production and innovation of satellite products and services for the Applications Team at Sierra Space. He brings 23 years of aerospace and defense experience, with a broad background in program management, business development and product innovation.
Prior to joining Sierra Space, Mr. Daehler was Senior Director of the Protected Communications Mission Area in Lockheed Martin’s Military Space organization. He was responsible for the development of next-generation satellite communications (satcom) product offerings, technology solutions, satellite design and system architectures for the United States Space Force, US Navy and Space Development Agency. Prior to that role he was the Director of Product Innovation for Boeing, where he led development of new satellite platforms for Boeing Space, including the first of a kind 702SP all-electric, dual-stacked satellite and the 502 Phoenix remote sensing and servicing satellites.
Mr. Daehler has a background in physics and space systems engineering with applications in communication, space protection, re-entry vehicles and remote sensing. This mission experience shaped his strategies for new technology development at Boeing and Lockheed Martin. Mr. Daehler led commercial business development and the protected communications mission at Lockheed Martin Space as well as research and development for Boeing’s unmanned satellite systems, worked as a chief system architect and systems engineering manager on large-scale satellite and network systems for commercial and government customers.
Mr. Daehler entered aerospace at NASA’s John C. Stennis Space Center in 2000 where he performed calibrations of space and aircraft-based earth observation systems. In 2002, he transitioned to Boeing to develop next-generation space systems including the X-37B reusable space plane. In 2016, Mr. Daehler returned to Lockheed Martin to grow the commercial and military communications and remote sensing businesses.
Mr. Daehler was educated in Europe at the Technical University of Delft in the Netherlands where he received his Master’s degree in Space Systems Engineering in 2006. He also received a Bachelor of Arts in Physics from The Colorado College in 1998.