Josef S. Koller

Amazon, Project Kuiper • Head of Space Safety and Sustainability

Dr. Josef Koller is the Head of Space Safety and Sustainability at Amazon, Project Kuiper, a low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite broadband network with the mission to provide affordable broadband connectivity to underserved communities around the world. Using his decade-long expertise in space sustainability, Koller leads Amazon's efforts to promote space safety policies, in the U.S. and around the globe, in support of the sustainable development of satellite operations in space.

Prior to Amazon, Koller served Systems Director for the Center for Space Policy and Strategy at The Aerospace Corporation and co-founder of the Space Safety Institute. He was also assigned as a senior advisor to the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Space Policy, where he directly supported key national and international strategy efforts for space-related U.S. government and policy matters. His portfolio included commercial remote sensing, space traffic management, and related congressional affairs. Prior to that assignment, Koller managed and co-led more than 40 scientists in the Space Science and Applications Group at Los Alamos National Laboratory. He also established and led the Los Alamos Space Weather Summer School to promote graduate student research and outreach at the laboratory.

Koller has more than 25 years of experience in space sustainability, space science, space policy, astrophysics, and strategy development. He has authored more than 50 peer-reviewed scientific publications with over 2,000 citations. He is also on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Space Safety Engineering and has been quoted in a variety of media outlets including NBC News, New York Times, NPR Marketplace, Les Echos, SpaceNews, and Popular Science.

Education
Koller has a Ph.D. in Astrophysics from Rice University and Master’s degrees in Physics and Astronomy from the University of Innsbruck, Austria.

Events

International Astronautical Congress 2025

29 September - 3 October 2025

Sydney, Australia

Participation: