Enrico PALERMO

IAF Bureau • VP: Space Agency Relations
Australian Space Agency • Head

Enrico has led the Australian Space Agency since January 2021. Since his commencement, Enrico has proudly led a diverse team of space ‘agents’ that have achieved a number of major milestones.

Under his leadership the Agency has reached an agreement with NASA for an Australian designed, built and operated rover to be included in a future mission to the Moon, issued the first launch permits and launch facility licenses under the Australian Space (Launches and Returns) Act, and seen the first commercial spaceflights from Australia.

Before joining the Agency, Enrico spent 14 years in various roles at Virgin Galactic. This included establishing and leading a vertically integrated aerospace manufacturing and testing operation for Mach 3 crewed commercial spaceships. From there Enrico was part of the team that launched the New York Stock Exchange listed public company and was appointed Chief Operating Officer.

A Perth native, Enrico graduated from the University of Western Australia with a Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering and Bachelor of Science in Physics and Applied Mathematics. He also studied at the International Space University in Strasbourg.

Events

77th International Astronautical Congress (IAC 2026)

5 - 9 October 2026

Antalya, Türkiye

Participation:

International Astronautical Congress 2025

29 September - 3 October 2025

Sydney, Australia

Participation:

IAF Spring Meetings 2025

25-27 March 2025

Paris, France

Participation:

International Astronautical Congress 2024

14-18 October 2024

Milan, Italy

Participation:

International Astronautical Congress 2023

2-6 October 2023

Baku, Azerbaijan

Participation:

International Astronautical Congress 2022

18-22 September 2022

Paris, France

Participation: