Founders
Michael Sims
Dr. Michael Sims is the CEO of Ceres Robotics Inc. Prior to founding Ceres, he served as a Senior Research Scientist at the Mars Institute and as Vice President of Software and Chief Robotics Officer at Moon Express. Before joining Moon Express, Dr. Sims spent 25 years at NASA, where he was involved in a broad range of high-impact projects. He co-founded the Connect Lab—Art and Science of Collaboration—and played a pivotal role in the Mars Exploration Rovers mission, serving as a Co-Investigator and a member of the operations and science teams. He held several leadership roles, including Long-Term Planning Lead and Payload Uplink Lead for the Microscopic Imager and seven of MER’s nine cameras. He developed virtual reality models for hundreds of Mars sites to support scientific investigations and built software to automate the creation and processing of these VR models. Additionally, he designed and developed tools used by the Microscopic Imager and engineering camera teams to process rover image sequences, manage related files, and generate and publish reports for each uplink.
Dr. Sims also founded the Intelligent Robotics Group at NASA Ames and served as the Associate Chief Scientist for the NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC). At NASA Headquarters’ Office of Exploration, he led initiatives in Automation, Robotics, and Human Factors. He holds numerous patents related to minimally invasive surgery and earned his Ph.D. from Rutgers University. His research contributions can be explored further at his ResearchGate profile.
Udit Shah
Udit Shah is a technology leader, systems architect, and entrepreneur advancing the frontier of lunar exploration and sustainable space systems. With over a decade of experience across aerospace, AI, and deep-tech ventures, he currently serves as Chief Engineer at Ceres Robotics, where he leads the development of next-generation space transportation and sustainable power systems supporting NASA’s Artemis program. He is a NASA Principal Investigator, serves as the Technology Chair of the Lunar Exploration Analysis Group (LEAG), sits on the Executive Committee of the Lunar Surface Innovation Consortium (LSIC), and is a member of the AIAA Space Logistics Technical Committee, pushing the boundaries of space infrastructure and transportation to enable sustained human presence and enterprise beyond Earth. Udit previously held engineering leadership roles at Orbit Beyond and Team Indus, where he helped secure multiple NASA CLPS and Human Landing System contracts, and led the development of India’s first privately built lunar lander. As co-founder of Atom360, he brought AI-powered early cancer detection tools to market with backing from the Government of India’s Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) and the Karnataka State Government.
An Edmund Hillary Fellow, Udit holds a Master’s in Aerospace Engineering from Virginia Tech, is a Tau Beta Pi inductee, and has been recognized for award-winning systems engineering and technological leadership.
Michael D'Angelo
Michael D’Angelo is an innovator and entrepreneur with over 35 years of experience in space, aviation, biotech, and investment management. He has been a founding and executive team member of more than ten companies. He is currently the Chief Business Officer and Co-Founder of Phantom Space and Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Wolverine Capital. Mike has held leadership roles at MIT Lincoln Laboratory, POET, Pratt & Whitney, and a multi-billion-dollar family office as EVP of Direct Ventures. He also served as CEO of a global leader in in-vitro human tissue model innovation, where he successfully led the company to a strategic exit. Earlier in his career, Mike was an executive at a venture-backed aerospace startup where he led the development, flight testing, and FAA certification of three manned, rocket-powered aircraft. He is an Edmund Hillary Fellow, a recipient of the Jonas Weil Entrepreneurship Fellowship from Cornell. He holds multiple patents, has been published in The Journal of Private Equity.