Space Ocean appoints veteran NASA engineer Duane ‘Hammer’ Redding as Chief Technology Officer

Space Ocean Corp has appointed Duane ‘Hammer’ Redding as Chief Technology Officer (CTO). Redding brings more than three decades of aerospace engineering experience spanning NASA and leading global technology organizations, strengthening Space Ocean’s technical leadership as the company advances next-generation orbital logistics and fluid transfer systems.

Redding joins Space Ocean following a distinguished career supporting major aerospace and national space programs across organizations including NASA, Lockheed Martin, Rolls-Royce, IBM, and Aerojet Rocketdyne. His expertise includes human spaceflight systems, advanced propulsion, spacecraft structures and mechanisms, rendezvous and docking systems, digital engineering, and spacecraft integration.

In his role as CTO, Redding will lead Space Ocean’s technical architecture, systems engineering, modeling and simulation and mission design initiatives. He will oversee development efforts focused on advanced orbital logistics and in-space fluid transfer technologies that are foundational to sustained operations beyond Earth orbit.

“Duane’s technical depth and systems-level expertise are exactly what Space Ocean needs as we continue advancing our orbital logistics infrastructure,” said Paul S. Mamakos, founder and CEO of Space Ocean Corp. “He has contributed to some of the most complex and mission-critical programs in

modern spaceflight, from lunar systems to docking and rendezvous technologies. His leadership will play a critical role as we scale our technical capabilities and move toward operational deployment.”

Redding has supported major national space initiatives including NASA’s Human Landing Systems (HLS), Gateway Program, Orion spacecraft, and NASA docking and rendezvous systems development. His direct expertise spans on-orbit propellant transfer, fluid systems engineering, structural design, spacecraft integration, and mission architecture.

“Space Ocean is addressing one of the most important infrastructure challenges in space exploration—how to efficiently move and manage critical resources beyond Earth orbit,” said Redding. “The company’s focus on orbital logistics and in-space fluid transfer systems represents an essential capability for the future of sustained human and robotic missions. I’m excited to join the team and help develop the technologies that will support the next generation of space operations.”

Redding’s appointment also marks an important leadership transition for Space Ocean. Pete Freeland, who previously served as Chief Technology Officer, will now focus exclusively on his role as President of the company, a position he assumed in 2025.

Freeland continues to lead Space Ocean’s strategic growth initiatives and operational development efforts. With more than 35 years of aerospace experience, Freeland has led the design, integration, and testing of human-rated spacecraft and satellite systems across major programs at Boeing, Northrop Grumman, and Raytheon.

“Hammer is a world-class engineer with a rare combination of deep technical expertise and program leadership experience,” Freeland said. “As Space Ocean continues evolving from concept development toward operational systems and mission execution, his experience in advanced propulsion, systems integration, and spacecraft architecture will be invaluable.”