Lunar Outpost has appointed a high-ranking former U.S. military space official to help guide its expanding lunar mobility infrastructure projects.
Retired U.S. Space Force Lt. Gen. John E. Shaw has joined Lunar Outpost’s board of directors, representing Industrious Ventures. He brings more than three decades of experience in military space operations, engineering and leadership to the Colorado-based company.
In 1990, Shaw entered the U.S. Air Force after graduating from the U.S. Air Force Academy with a degree in astronautical engineering and a minor in Russian language. Over the following three decades, he held positions throughout the military’s evolving space operations, including assignments with the National Reconnaissance Office, U.S. Strategic Command and the Pentagon.
Shaw’s commands included the 4th Space Operations Squadron, 50th Operations Group, 21st Space Wing and 14th Air Force. He was also part of the transition that created the U.S. Space Force in 2019.
In 2020, Shaw transferred from the Air Force to the newly established Space Force and was promoted to lieutenant general. He also became the first commander of Space Operations Command.
Shaw then served from 2020 until 2023 as deputy commander of U.S. Space Command. In that role, he helped oversee military operations involving U.S. space capabilities and worked alongside allied and commercial partners.
In November 2023, Shaw retired from military service.
Shaw joins Lunar Outpost as the company develops technology designed to operate far from Earth, including autonomous vehicles and infrastructure for the lunar surface. The company is also working with NASA on its Lunar Terrain Vehicle program, which is intended to provide transportation for Artemis astronauts on the Moon.
Throughout his career, Shaw has been involved in discussions about how space operations will change as governments and companies move beyond the traditional satellites operating around Earth, including in cislunar space – the region extending from Earth toward and around the Moon.
Lunar Outpost CEO Justin Cyrus said Shaw’s experience in how major space capabilities are developed and put into operation will be valuable as the company grows.
Shaw said he sees Lunar Outpost’s technology as supporting exploration, science, commercial growth and a permanent human presence on the Moon.
The appointment continues Shaw’s move into the commercial space industry since leaving military service. His career spanned engineering, military operations, and space policy, along with the growing relationship between the government and commercial space companies.
At Lunar Outpost, Shaw brings that experience to a company operating in a different environment from the one where his military career began. Instead of focusing primarily on satellites around Earth, the company is building machines intended to travel, work, and eventually support people on the lunar surface.
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