Charles Bolden Jr., a former administrator of NASA, has been named a board member at Reston, Virginia-based satellite communications company Ligado Networks.
The retired Marine Corps major general said in a statement Tuesday that he is “committed to helping Ligado leverage its technology and spectrum resources for the benefit of all Americans and the enterprises that serve them.”
Bolden led NASA through its establishment of a space technology mission directorate, expansion of the agency's Earth observation satellite network and its planetary exploration missions with the Curiosity Rover and Juno probe.
He became the second astronaut to serve as head of the space agency when former President Obama appointed him to the position in 2009.
The highly decorated naval aviator supported more than 100 combat missions during the Vietnam War and he also worked as a test pilot for the Naval Air Test Center’s Systems Engineering and Strike Aircraft Test Directorates.
Prior to his retirement from the military, Bolden was commanding general of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing at Marine Corps Air Station in Miramar, California.