Our Team and Leadership
Behind every breakthrough in propulsion is a team built to deliver. At Dark Fission, our leadership includes a dozen experienced professionals with backgrounds in aerospace, nuclear engineering, propulsion design, government contracting, and regulatory compliance.
Built by Experts. Led by Experience.
Our founding team brought together a dozen senior experts in aerospace, nuclear systems, propulsion, national security, and commercial space. The team includes former program leads from DARPA, major defense contractors, and pioneering space ventures-each with a track record of turning complex ideas into operational reality.
Among them is Dr. Fred Kennedy, whose experience at DARPA and the Space Development Agency adds unique insight into bridging government innovation and commercial execution. Together, our leadership team is advancing next-generation propulsion while laying the foundation for long-term success in space logistics.
From DARPA to Dark Fission: Fred Kennedy's Propulsion Legacy
Dr. Fred Kennedy helped launch the early nuclear propulsion effort at DARPA that eventually became DRACO, established the Space Development Agency, and served in senior leadership roles at companies like Momentus and Astra. Now, as founder of Dark Fission, he's focused on delivering a commercially viable nuclear thermal rocket engine-with fewer dependencies, faster timelines, and a build-for-orbit mindset from day one.
With decades of experience across defense, government, and commercial sectors, Fred has built a reputation for challenging what's 'normal' in space-and replacing it with what's possible.
He started ROAR (Reactor on a Rocket), an initiative that evolved into the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's groundbreaking effort to design a nuclear thermal rocket engine and take it to orbit. As the founding Director of the U.S. Space Development Agency, he stood up an entirely new agency from scratch-tasked with creating the Department of Defense's next-generation space architecture for speed, resilience, and scalability.
But Fred didn't stop there. He brought his systems-level thinking and bold execution style into the private sector, taking leadership roles at cutting-edge companies like Momentus and Astra, where he helped push the boundaries of in-space transportation and satellite launch innovation.
Now, he's leading Dark Fission, where his mission is clear: deliver the first commercial nuclear thermal rocket engine to orbit-on time and built for scale. No more endless R&D cycles. No more theoretical papers. No more waiting for permission.
Fred believes the future of space logistics hinges on one thing: propulsion that works like the backbone of a space economy. Fast. Efficient. Reliable. Nuclear. He's not banking on Mars missions to make NTP work; instead, he and his dedicated team are working to power the missions, payloads, and platforms that will operate across cislunar space, Mars, and beyond in this decade.
At Dark Fission, Fred is assembling a team of builders, not dreamers. He's here to move the industry forward - one chain reaction at a time.