Dr. Susmita Mohanty is a globally celebrated space entrepreneur, spaceship designer, and climate action advocate who has redefined the boundaries of human imagination and enterprise. With a remarkable career that spans NASA, Boeing, and pioneering private ventures, she stands as a rare blend of scientific expertise, creative vision, and global leadership. If your event seeks to inspire innovation, cross-border collaboration, or future-facing thinking, Dr. Mohanty is the voice you want on stage.

She is the only space entrepreneur in the world to have co-founded space companies across three continents: Moonfront (San Francisco, 2001), Liquifer Systems Group (Vienna, 2004), and Earth2Orbit (Bengaluru, 2009). These ventures are a testament to her ability to integrate space science, design thinking, and international collaboration.

A trailblazer in India’s private space ecosystem, Dr. Mohanty co-founded Earth2Orbit, India’s first space startup, and played a decisive role in brokering the historic launch deal between Antrix (ISRO’s commercial arm) and the American satellite company Skybox Imaging. Her behind-the-scenes diplomacy in navigating export restrictions and international policies laid the foundation for future Indo-US space collaborations.

Currently, she serves as the Director General of Spaceport SARABHAI (S2), India’s first and only space policy think tank. Through S2, she leads the mission to establish India as a globally recognized space power while promoting sustainability, innovation, and private sector participation. Her role bridges the gap between policy, research, and industry in India’s space ambitions.

Before turning entrepreneur, she worked on the NASA Shuttle-Mir missions and contributed to the International Space Station program at Boeing. These early experiences in the US space industry gave her a deep, hands-on understanding of how large space systems are designed and operated. Over the last two decades, she has worked with agencies and organizations from the US, Europe, Russia, Japan, and India in multiple roles – engineer, entrepreneur, consultant, and advisor.

Her accolades are numerous and prestigious. She was selected to the BBC 100 Women list in 2019, featured on the cover of Fortune Magazine in 2017, and recognized by the Financial Times as one of 25 Indians to Watch in 2012. The Indian government honored her with the Women Transforming India Award as part of the 75th Independence Day celebrations, celebrating her as one of the nation’s most impactful change-makers.

Her contributions to the space industry extend into thought leadership and global governance. Dr. Mohanty has served on the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Space Technologies, contributed to the Swiss Space Policy, and advised India’s Principal Scientific Advisor on fostering a thriving space economy. She also serves on the Expert Advisory Board for Earth-Space Governance, and the Advisory Board of EPFL Space Center, Switzerland. Between 2019 and 2021, she was part of the Senate at the National Institute of Design (NID), her alma mater.

Her academic journey is as international as her career. She holds a Bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering (Gujarat University), a Master’s in Industrial Design (NID, India), and another in Space Studies from the International Space University, Strasbourg. She also holds a PhD and has studied in India, France, and Sweden, an embodiment of interdisciplinary and cross-cultural excellence.

A compelling speaker, Dr. Mohanty is known for her sharp insights, eloquent delivery, and powerful storytelling that weaves science, policy, and human vision. Whether she’s addressing innovation leaders, policymakers, climate advocates, entrepreneurs, or university students, she brings a unique perspective that is rooted in experience, enriched by design thinking, and guided by a mission to serve humanity and the planet.

Dr. Susmita Mohanty is not just a speaker, she is a living example of what it means to break boundaries, across geographies, disciplines, and ideas. She is the ideal keynote speaker for conferences on space technology, entrepreneurship, innovation, climate action, sustainability, women leadership, and future policymaking.