Spaceflight Inc.’s former CEO, Curt Blake, is joining the Seattle office of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati at a time when the California-based law firm is launching an industry group to focus on the needs of emerging space ventures.
Wilson Sonsini’s clients already include high-profile investors and companies in the NewSpace industry sector, such as Astranis Space Technologies, BlackSky, Lunasonde, Skylo Technologies and Slingshot Aerospace.
Craig Sherman, a partner at Wilson Sonsini who focuses on the space industry, said in a news release that Blake’s addition to the team as a senior of counsel serves as “an ideal opportunity for us to work more closely with the innovators and established companies leading the way forward in the NewSpace sector.”
During his 12-year tenure as the CEO at Spaceflight Inc. — which is currently headquartered in Bellevue, Wash. — Blake oversaw the company’s rise as a coordinator of satellite rideshare logistics and the manufacturer of Sherpa orbital transfer vehicles. He was a board member for the Commercial Spaceflight Federation from 2012 to 2022.
Before he helped Spaceflight Inc. get off the ground, Blake served in a variety of senior executive and legal roles at software companies including Microsoft, Aldus, Corbis and the late billionaire Paul Allen’s Starwave media venture. He earned his B.A., J.D. and MBA degrees from the University of Washington.
“I’m excited about joining Wilson Sonsini because of its impressive legacy of working with innovative technology and life sciences clients,” Blake said in today’s news release. “Taking on this role at such a unique time gives me the opportunity to continue focusing on the rapidly growing and dynamic space technology sector while building upon the relationships I’ve established in the industry.”
Spaceflight was a subsidiary of Seattle-based Spaceflight Industries until 2020. That’s when Spaceflight Inc. was sold to a 50-50 joint venture involving Japan’s Mitsui & Co. and Yamasa Co. Ltd. Spaceflight Industries then rebranded itself as BlackSky, with a focus on satellite imagery and geospatial intelligence solutions.
Blake transitioned out of the CEO role at Spaceflight Inc. in February, passing the baton to veteran aerospace executive Tiphaine Louradour in February. Since March, he’s been a strategic and legal adviser to Mitsui and other clients.
Last week, Texas-based Firefly Aerospace announced that it acquired Spaceflight Inc. from Mitsui and Yamasa and will sharpen the operation’s focus on orbital vehicles.
