Virgin Galactic announced that former Delta Air Lines executive Mike Moore has been appointed executive vice president, Spaceline Technical Operations, effective August 22.
Moore will lead Virgin Galactic’s technical operations and maintenance team in charge of ensuring the company’s vehicles are ready for flight. As part of this new position, he will help design and implement the operational model and technical infrastructure needed to support high cadence spaceflights during commercial service. Moore will report to CEO Michael Colglazier.
“A major part of delivering the Astronaut experience at Virgin Galactic sits with our technical operations team, which ensures our Spaceflight system is fit and ready to fly,” said Colglazier. “I am thrilled that Mike is joining us to lead the expansion of our talented technical operations team at Spaceport America as we develop our capabilities in preparation for commercial service. Mike has more than 28 years of experience overseeing daily aerospace operations, and his expertise and steadfast dedication to safety, quality, and process improvement will be indispensable as we enter this chapter.”
Moore joins the company following a decade-long career at Delta Air Lines, where he led Delta’s TechOps Services Group. While at Delta, Moore supported the introduction of two major next-generation engine maintenance partnerships with Rolls-Royce and Pratt & Whitney. After beginning his aviation career as a mechanic in the U.S. Air Force, Moore also worked at Chromalloy Georgia, Northwest Airlines and TIMCO Aviation Services, and has served as a partner to TeamSAI.
“Joining the world’s first commercial spaceline during this pivotal period of expansion is an honor,” said Moore. “Virgin Galactic is an industry pioneer with a distinctive product and an exceptionally talented team. Entering high frequency commercial service will see a step-change in their day-to-day technical needs, and I look forward to working with the team to expand, build on their cutting-edge operations and meet their goals.”