Chris Blackerby

Chris Blackerby is Group COO at Astroscale. In this role he is involved in strategic planning and global management for the pioneering space debris removal company.  Based in Tokyo, Chris has management responsibilities for the team’s activities in Japan and the UK as well as for the development of a growing presence in the U.S.  Additionally, he frequently speaks to international media and represents Astroscale at conferences and panels globally.

Prior to joining Astroscale, he served as the NASA Attaché for Asia, the senior space policy official in the U.S. Embassy Tokyo, from 2012-2017. In that capacity, he identified multiple opportunities for cooperation in the region; served as strategic space advisor to the U.S. Ambassador to Japan and senior U.S. Government officials; acted as an official intermediary between NASA and its partners in Asia in negotiating agreements and resolving disputes; and participated in numerous outreach events highlighting NASA activities.

Chris began working for NASA as a Presidential Management Fellow in 2003. While at NASA he was a leader in forging international cooperative partnerships around the world in the fields of Earth Science, space science and human space exploration. From 2005-2007 Chris was the Executive Director of the NASA Advisory Council, which provided advice to senior NASA officials on future policies and plans. From 2007-2012 Chris was the Asia team lead at NASA, providing strategic and tactical advice to senior NASA management related to international space cooperation between NASA and space agency partners in Japan, Korea, China and Southeast Asia. During this time, he represented NASA on the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites, an international, organization of over 15 nations dedicated to coordinating Earth observation from space.

Chris received a BA in History and Education from the University of Richmond (Va.) in 1995 and an MA in International Relations from the University of Rhode Island in 2002. In 2009 Chris earned an MBA from the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University.