Sam Adlen

Co-CEO, Space Solar

Sam Adlen is co-CEO of Space Solar, where they are creating an era-defining new solar energy source from space. Following a PhD working on a NASA Mars mission, Sam joined VEGA as a consultant focusing on satellite applications. From there, he held senior space sector strategy roles in Finmeccanica, successfully exited a start-up in the logistics sector and was Lead Technologist for Space at Innovate UK (the UK’s Innovation Agency). Sam was latterly Chief Strategy Officer at the Satellite Applications Catapult, a technology and innovation centre focused on economic growth through the use of space, where he was responsible for developing a strategy that best supports UK growth and working with hundreds of businesses to support them on their journeys.

Sam engages broadly across the space sector in shaping the future direction and the benefits space can deliver to Earth. He co-founded the UKSpace In-Orbit Services and Manufacturing working group and the Spatial Finance Initiative and is co-chair of the Space Energy Initiative. He is also a Non-Executive Director of the Satellite Finance Network and has been a Non-Executive Director for OceanMind and Disclosure Oxford.

Sam holds a master’s in physics and a PhD from Oxford University, as well as an MBA from Imperial College London. He is an Honorary Senior Visiting Fellow at Bayes Business School, University of London.