Speaker Bio

Kiko Dontchev is SpaceX’s Vice President of Launch. In this role, Kiko oversees all launch, recovery, vehicle integration, marine operations and infrastructure across SpaceX’s launch sites in California and Florida.
Kiko joined SpaceX in May 2010 as a Battery Development, Test, and Power Systems Engineer, helping develop core elements for SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket as well as the propulsive landing capability of Dragon. In 2015, Kiko led the execution of a successful Pad Abort Test, a key demonstration for ensuring astronaut safety during human spaceflight. After working with teams to develop the second generation of Dragon, Kiko transitioned to managing all of Dragon spacecraft ground operations, which included launch, refurbishment, and human spaceflight operations as the company prepared for SpaceX’s first human spaceflight in 2020 (NASA’s Demo-2 mission). Later that same year, Kiko began to manage all of SpaceX’s launch operations, focusing on increasing the company’s launch rate to meet our government and commercial customers’ needs – including human spaceflight – and support the ongoing development of the Starlink constellation.
Kiko is a graduate of the University of Michigan, where he received both a Bachelor of Engineering in Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical Engineering and a Master of Engineering in Space Engineering.