Speaker: NASA's Optical Communications Program for 2018 and Beyond

Dr. Don Cornwell is responsible for all radio optical communications and navigation technology development within the Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) Program at NASA HQ. Prior to moving to NASA HQ, Don served as the Mission Manager for the historic Lunar Laser Communication Demonstration in 2013 on NASA’s LADEE mission to the Moon. Previously, Don served as the Vice President of Systems Engineering for a fiber telecom start-up, Corvis Corporation, where he was awarded eight patents for his work in Raman amplifier technology and was instrumental in the development and deployment of two nationwide fiber optic networks. Dr. Cornwell has a Ph. D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Maryland College Park and has been awarded the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal and the National Space Club’s Nelson P. Jackson Award.