Ben Haldeman, MSc
Ben Haldeman, MSc is the Founder and CEO of LifeShip. He is a Space Entrepreneur, Futurist, Engineer, and Spacecraft Architect. Ben’s interests are in using space to help the Earth and spreading life into the cosmos.
Ben founded LifeShip in 2018 to make space accessible to everyone. LifeShip is a participatory community space exploration movement saving a copy of Earth in space and charting a path to take humanity to the stars. Read Sending Life to the Stars: A Vision for the Future.
In partnership with NASA, LifeShip launched the first DNA Seed Bank, with DNA of 500 species and 1000 humans, to the International Space Station on a SpaceX rocket. LifeShip is a Partner of the Arch Mission Foundation which helps to preserve humanity’s heritage for future generations. Read Lunar Legacy: DNA of Success.
At LifeShip, people preserve their genes in capsules and join a space community on a mission to the stars. They are saving Earth’s genetic blueprint for the future. Their big mission is to help biodiversity here on Earth and spread Life to the stars. LifeShip is on several upcoming rockets to the Moon and beyond.
Listen to Immortality on the Moon, Send your DNA to Space! with Ben Haldeman, Founder, LifeShip. Watch Ben Haldeman, LifeShip — Conversations for the Future and Avoiding Extinction: The Future of Humanity as a Multiplanetary Species (it’s already happening!)
Ben has also invested in Interstellar Lab, which builds environment-controlled pods for crop cultivation on Earth and sustainable living in Space, and Humanity Inc., whose mission is to extend the health span of everyone on Earth.
Previously, between 2013 and 2018, Ben was an early engineer at Planet Labs, where he designed and launched hundreds of imaging satellites into space to help Earth. He began as a Spacecraft Architect where he led the design, fabrication, calibration, and quality control for the telescopes and cameras flown in 300+ spacecraft.
In 2015, Ben moved to Corporate Development, Strategy, and Rockets, where he purchased rockets and managed launch logistics for >100 satellites delivered to space. In 2017, he became Program Manager and Product Management, Strategy, and Product Evangelism. He worked on new technologies and space missions at the intersection of machine learning, big data, and space.
Before Ben joined Planet Labs, he worked as a Mechanical Engineer for Las Cumbres Observatory (LCOGT), where he built a global network of dozens of big robotic telescopes around the world that are discovering new exoplanets. He worked on new technologies and space missions at the intersection of machine learning, big data, and space. Read Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network and An Interview with Ben Haldeman.
Ben earned his Bachelor’s Degree of Science in Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Mechanics from Penn State University in 2002. He earned his Master’s Degree of Science in Mechanical Engineering and Design from the University of California, Berkeley in 2005. During that time, Ben was Research assistant for UC Berkeley DNA/Microchip Group.
Ben designed, programmed, and validated prototype MEMs-based microfluidic optical instrumentation for the NASA-funded mission for in situ detection of life on Mars. Read Advances in Automation and Throughput of the Mars Organic Analyzer Microchip Capillary Electrophoresis System.
Ben was a professional cyclist, big wall rock climber, and ultra-endurance athlete. Ben is always exploring and loves going way off-trail with his daughter, Luna. Watch Riesenbaby 7a+ (5.12a) Ton Sai Bay roof Thailand Climbing.
Watch 5 things to have a stellar career in Space by Ben Haldeman at LifeShip, Expanding Life & Consciousness in the Universe | Ben Haldeman, and #Lifeship #SpaceExploration #Space with Ben Haldeman. Watch Casual Space LIVE with Ben Haldeman and Ex Terra Podcast Ben Haldeman LifeShip.
Listen to Space Business Podcast #107 – Ben Haldeman, Lifeship and Humanity’s Future Beyond Earth: Ben Haldeman’s Space Mission To The Moon.
Visit his LinkedIn profile, ResearchGate profile, and his Google Scholar page. Follow him on Facebook, Crunchbase, Instagram, Mountain Project, and Twitter.
