Rubicon to Join American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)

Founder & CEO Nate Morris Appointed to Corporate Strategic Advisory Committee

Lexington, Kentucky, Aug. 17, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rubicon®, a software platform that provides smart waste and recycling solutions to businesses and governments worldwide, has joined the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). Rubicon Founder & CEO, Nate Morris, will be appointed to the AIAA Corporate Strategic Advisory Committee.

This newly re-organized committee meets with leaders from the Department of Defense (DoD), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and NASA, and opens the dialogue with AIAA leadership on the Institute’s initiatives.

“I am honored to join the Corporate Strategic Advisory Committee of AIAA and thrilled for Rubicon to become an AIAA member,” said Mr. Morris. “AIAA represents the vast legacy of air and space in the United States, and also its promising future. Together we can address how the world looks at waste and what we leave behind when we reach for the stars.”

Corporate members of AIAA include Airbus America, AWS, Astroscale, Blue Origin, GE Aviation, Gulfstream Aerospace, Lockheed Martin, The Boeing Company, Northrop Grumman, Rolls-Royce, SpaceX, Virgin Galactic, among others.

Rubicon's strategic partnership with AIAA will enhance the company's initiatives focused on tackling the problem of space debris. Launched in May 2021, Rubicon’s Project Clear Constellation aims to generate industry-leading solutions to the ever-increasing challenge of space waste. According to a recent NASA study, there are approximately 8,000 metric tons of debris orbiting Earth. These waste materials vary in size from large to microscopic, but all move at such a high speed that they represent potentially mission-ending risk by penetrating everything from spacesuits to fuel tanks, and even the hulls of space shuttles. They are also a threat to scientific and commercial satellites that the world increasingly relies on for navigation, communication, security, weather tracking, and more.

The centerpiece of Project Clear Constellation is a competition in which accredited colleges and universities from across the United States are invited to submit design concepts for solutions to confront this problem, which grows ever more acute each day. Submissions will be judged by a panel of experts including Nate Morris, Dr. Jonathan C. McDowell, Astrophysicist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics; Dr. Marla Geha, Professor of Astronomy and Physics at Yale; Nobu Okada, Founder and CEO of Astroscale; Mike Rogers, former Member of the United States Congress and Chair of the Center for the Study of the Presidency & Congress’ National Security Space Program; and Rick Ambrose, Executive Vice President at Lockheed Martin Space. The winning design concept, to be announced in May 2022, will be awarded a $100,000 cash prize.

About AIAA
AIAA is the voice of the aerospace profession, giving its members an effective say in policy decisions affecting aerospace. Since 1972 AIAA has contributed technical expertise to Congress and the executive branch, providing accurate information to decision makers and highlighting the crucial role aerospace plays in economic and national security, and in our technological future.

About Rubicon
Rubicon is a Lexington, Kentucky-based software platform that provides smart waste and recycling solutions for businesses and governments worldwide. Using technology to drive environmental innovation, the company helps turn businesses into more sustainable enterprises, and neighborhoods into greener and smarter places to live and work. Rubicon’s mission is to end waste. It helps its partners find economic value in their waste streams and confidently execute on their sustainability goals. Learn more at Rubicon.com.

CONTACT: Dan Sampson Vice President of Marketing & Communications dan.sampson@rubicon.com