Speakers

Jeff Thornburg is the co-founder and CEO of Portal Space Systems, a next-generation spacecraft company developing highly maneuverable, reconfigurable platforms designed for responsive operations in orbit. Under his leadership, Portal has raised one of the largest publicly announced seed rounds in the space sector, launched a new spacecraft product line manifested with commercial payload partners, and expanded its technical footprint with an operational R&D and test facility and a future manufacturing headquarters coming online in 2026. In 2025, Portal was named one of Via Satellite’s Top 10 Small Satellite Companies to Watch.

Jeff brings more than three decades of experience spanning government, commercial space, and advanced technology programs. Prior to founding Portal, he served as Vice President of Propulsion at SpaceX, where he was the principal architect of the Raptor engine developed for Starship. He has also held senior engineering and leadership roles at Amazon’s Project Kuiper, Stratolaunch, Commonwealth Fusion Systems, and Agility Robotics, contributing to satellite constellations, large-scale aerospace systems, fusion energy programs, and advanced robotics.

Earlier in his career, Jeff was an officer in the U.S. Air Force and worked at the Air Force Research Laboratory, where he helped lead the Integrated Powerhead Demonstration, the world’s first hydrogen full-flow staged-combustion engine test. He later supported NASA’s J-2X program at Marshall Space Flight Center and directed liquid-engine turbomachinery efforts at Aerojet.

Jeff’s work has been recognized with multiple NASA awards, including Space Flight Awareness and “Made It Happen” honors, as well as AFRL Technical Program Manager of the Year. In 2025, he also received Misty West’s HardTech Award and was named a GeekWire Uncommon Thinker. He serves as a mentor with the Creative Destruction Lab, supporting emerging companies in the space and advanced manufacturing sectors.