The IAF is proud to introduce the 2025 IAF Young Space Leaders!

Co-Founder & Managing Director
Karman Project

Hannah Ashford is a non-profit director and lawyer working to unite global decision-makers to drive urgent, collaborative action for a sustainable and peaceful future in space. As the Managing Director of The Karman Project, Hannah works with public and private sector space leaders from 65+ nations worldwide, facilitating forums for strategic dialogue and international cooperation. Hannah leads the foundation’s strategic growth, including their flagship Fellowship program and United Nations policy efforts, engaging with a vast network of international partners. Hannah additionally serves on the Advisory Council for King Charles III's Astra Carta, the Advisory Board of The Exploration Company, and as a Mentor with the Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience. She has been a proud participant in various activities of the International Astronautical Federation, and currently serves as a member of the Committee for Liaison with International Organisations and Developing Nations (CLIODN).

Before joining The Karman Project, Hannah spent five years working within the European innovation ecosystem, notably leading Product & Innovation at Factory Berlin. Hannah graduated in Law (Honours) and Journalism from the University of Queensland, and started her career practising as a lawyer. She received a scholarship to complete the Space Studies Program at the International Space University in 2022. People have always been at the heart of Hannah’s work, driven by the belief that diversity, inclusion and shared understandings are essential to building a sustainable and peaceful future. With experience spanning technology, innovation, commercialisation, international policy and law, Hannah endeavours to bring a multidisciplinary lens to her work, helping bridge sectors and drive impactful collaborations on a global scale.

Head of Department
Fondazione E. Amaldi

Eleonora Lombardi is the Head of Department at the E. Amaldi Foundation (FEA), where she leads strategic operations, optimizes processes and resources, and ensures the effective delivery of business initiatives within the New Space Economy sector. Previously, she served as Senior Technology Transfer Manager and Project Coordinator for European Commission initiatives at FEA, while also managing the deal flow for the Primo Space Fund, supporting investments in high-potential space startups. From 2019 to 2023, she acted as Deputy Ambassador for the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Business Applications Platform in Italy, coordinating ESA InCubed+ activities and aligning national entrepreneurial ecosystem efforts with ESA’s strategic objectives. Prior to joining FEA, Mrs. Lombardi was Business Development Manager for the ESA Integrated Applications Programme Ambassador initiative in Italy, managed by the Hypatia Research Consortium, where she also served as Technology Transfer Manager starting in 2016. Her experience spans institutional and policy engagement at the European level, working closely with startups, SMEs, academia, and large organizations to foster the commercialization of space technologies and drive innovation-based initiatives. She gained international experience at the Director General’s Cabinet of ESA in Paris as a Research Assistant, and developed expertise on satellite application end-user communities through her work at Eurisy. Eleonora graduated with honours in International Relations from the University of Rome "La Sapienza", with a thesis in International Space Law and Policy focused on the development of a global legal framework for space debris mitigation and removal. She earned a second master’s degree in Economic Intelligence from the University of Rome "Tor Vergata," focusing on ESA’s entrepreneurial support programmes through economic intelligence tools for needs assessment, and completed executive training in European funds planning and management. As part of her academic journey, she participated in exchange programmes at Université Paris-Saclay and the University of Edinburgh. Since 2019, Eleonora has been actively contributing to the global space community, serving two consecutive terms as Regional Coordinator for Europe at the Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC). She is currently the Vice-Chair for Technical Activities of the WD-YPP Committee at the International Astronautical Federation, after previously serving as a member of the IAF Industry Relations Committee.

Global Space Policy and Strategy Expert
ispace, inc

Antonio Stark (KangSan Kim) is a South Korean space policy and strategy expert. His professional career spans across ispace, inc. (Global Alliance Lead), Planet Labs (Partner Sales Executive), HEO Robotics (Korea Country Manager), and the Maldives Space Research Organization (Program Manager). Antonio’s work lies primarily in partnerships with government organizations, academic institutions, and the private sector to facilitate the global space ecosystem. He has worked on multiple projects on space sustainability, cislunar architecture, and satellite fleet management in the Indo-Pacific, developing policy guidelines and industry consortia.

Antonio is also active in the nonprofit sector, having had years of experience in the Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC), Moon Village Association (MVA), the Space Court Foundation (SCF), the National Space Society (NSS), and the Interstellar Foundation. He currently serves as a Global Ambassador for the International Moon Day and Global Entrepreneurship Network-Space (GEN Space) and was formerly the Asia-Pacific Editor for SpaceWatch Global.

Antonio is an avid adventurer, having participated in expeditions to the Arctic Circle and the Himalayas. A lover of scuba diving, he was an analog astronaut on an underwater lunar station mission in China.

Director, Space Technologies Center
Łukasiewicz Research Network – Institute of Aviation (ILOT)

Dr Adam Okninski is a manager, engineer and rocket scientist and a former employee of the European Space Agency (ESA), were he optimized rocket engines via use of additive manufacturing. Now in Poland at Lukasiewicz – Institute of Aviation, Poland’s largest aerospace R&D entity, he is leading development of cutting edge Green Space Propulsion, where he runs a 100+ people dedicated team. This includes not only bringing such projects, for the first time in history, to Central-Eastern Europe, but actually creating one of the hottest spots in the world in terms of new Green Space Propulsion developments. His team’s efforts led to being part of over 30 ESA activities within the domains of Chemical Propulsion and Space Transportation Systems along numerous space projects from other European and national programmes.

His recognitions include several in under-30, under-35 and under-40 listings, including both national and international prizes. He serves as the Deputy Chair of the Committee for Space and Satellite Research of the Polish Academy of Science and is its Head of Space Transportation Section. He is also a member of the Academia of Engineering in Poland.

Adam graduated from the Faculty of Power and Aeronautical Engineering of Warsaw University of Technology, where he obtained his bachelor’s and master’s degrees. He obtained his PhD through research on rocket propulsion for space transportation (supervised by Prof. Piotr Wolański). Adam is involved in work on chemical propulsion, including green propellants, space transportation solutions, Moon lander technology and spacecraft deorbiting systems. His team demonstrated several milestones regarding utilization of 98% hydrogen peroxide as oxidizer, including world’s first in-flight use of it in a space mission during a successful suborbital flight above the Von Karman Line in 2024. Living, studying and working in Poland, Germany, Canada and the Netherlands, led to his focus on projects with international impact. Being active in the International Astronautical Federation and IAF Space Propulsion Committee in particular, where he is the Vice-chair, he also supports the organization of IAC 2027 in Poznan, Poland, serving as the IPC Co-Chair in the Local Organizing Committee. Moreover, he is a full member of the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA).

Co-Lead, Space Safety and Sustainability Project, Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC)
Graduate Researcher in Astronautics, Purdue University

Mahhad Nayyer is a graduate researcher in Astrodynamics and Space Applications at Purdue University’s School of Aeronautics and Astronautics. His research focuses on advancing Space Situational Awareness (SSA) capabilities and enhancing Space Traffic Management (STM) protocols by analytically assessing orbital capacity through slotting architectures in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). He holds a Master of Engineering in Space Systems and Business Engineering from the Technical University of Graz in Austria, and a dual-degree Bachelor of Science in Astronautical Engineering and Humanities from the U.S. Air Force Academy.

In the international space community, Mahhad serves as Co-Lead of the Space Safety and Sustainability (SSS) Project Group at the Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC), where he has expanded and strengthened the group’s research initiatives across member countries. He also holds the position of Vice Chair for the Emerging Space Ecosystems Sub-Committee in the Asia-Pacific region within the International Astronautical Federation (IAF). He is an active member of several technical committees in the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA).

Mahhad’s contributions have been recognized with several honors, including the 2022 IAF Emerging Space Leader Award, the 2022 AIAA Diverse Dozen (now known as Ascendents), and the 2023 SGAC Nebula Award. In 2024, he was named a Karman Pioneer by the Karman Project Foundation. Mahhad also delivers capacity-building seminars and is frequently invited to speak on topics related to SSA, Space Domain Awareness (SDA), STM, and space sustainability.

In addition to his technical research, Mahhad is deeply committed to fostering international collaboration and capacity building in emerging space nations. As an SSA expert, he has contributed to policy discussions and advocacy efforts aimed at promoting equitable access to space, combining technical rigor with an understanding of the geopolitical and systemic challenges shaping the future of global space governance.