Dr. Yaroslav “Yarko" Pustovyi is a space industry professional with career experience in the sector since 1988. Formerly an astronaut with the National Space Agency of Ukraine, Dr. Pustovyi was trained by NASA and served as a Backup Payload Specialist for the STS-87 Space Shuttle Columbia mission in 1997. As one of the first government-trained astronauts to join Newspace, Dr. Pustovyi continues his active involvement in the commercial spaceflight industry through a variety of entrepreneurial, consulting, educational and other endeavors.