Robert S. Katz is a pioneering space strategist and systems architect whose career is defined by service at the nexus of national security, technological innovation, and community protection. From calibrating the Hubble Space Telescope as a college freshman and pioneering AI for the Mars Rover as a Ph.D. Candidate, to spearheading the design of the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) at the Pentagon, his work has consistently been at the forefront of America’s most critical space endeavors. A firefighter-paramedic and decorated public servant, Robert now channels his vast experience from over 234 global organizations—including NASA, the DoD, and the Intelligence Community—into his non-profit, the World Innovation Network (WIN). Through WIN, he leads transformative initiatives like the National Spaceport Simulation Center (SPACE-SIM) to architect collaborative ecosystems, ensuring America’s enduring superiority and security in space.
With his awe-filled toddler eyes glued to the television, every Moon landing further inspired Robert S. Katz’s lifelong space voyage. This journey began professionally during his first year of college with NASA, NIST, and Johns Hopkins. Soon after, armed with newly minted degrees in Physics, Mathematics, Computer Science, and Chemistry, he applied his doctoral research in Systems Engineering and Artificial Intelligence to the autonomous navigation of our very first autonomous vehicle: the Mars Rover.
This foundational work led him to an MIT detailee deployment to the Pentagon, where he spearheaded the Battle Management Command & Control architecture for President Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), the “Star Wars Program.” In this role, he was unknowingly helping to pioneer concepts that would become foundational to modern cybersecurity, missile defense systems like Iron Dome and the Patriot Missile, and the protection of our nation’s most critical space assets. After helping to design space systems to win the Cold War, Robert continued to lead innovative initiatives across a vast landscape of top Systems Integrators, Primes, the DoD, and the Intelligence Community, supporting the missions of over 234 global organizations including Lockheed Martin, Booz Allen, Boeing, the CIA, NSA, NGA, JPL, APL, and NASA Goddard.
Robert’s career has consistently focused on trailblazing new capabilities. He led the integration of space technology into aviation, delivering the first voice and data communications to aircraft, followed by the first geo-tracking and GPS-assisted landing systems for both commercial platforms and high-level government assets like Looking Glass, AWACS, and Air Force One. Internationally, he has crafted space collaboration and treaties on-the-ground in 32 partner nations, helping to pioneer our first global internet, wireless email, and geo-tracking systems.
This lifetime of experience is now channeled through his innovative SOLUTIONneering™ framework and his 501(c)(3) non-profit think tank, the World Innovation Network (WIN). As an enterprising “ecosystem engineer,” Robert now focuses on transforming talent, tactics, and technology to solve complex national challenges. Through WIN, he has conceived and launched pivotal programs like the National Spaceport Simulation Center (SPACE-SIM), the SPACE-BASE innovation hub, and the Strategic Earthshot Initiative. These initiatives leverage space’s unifying power to prepare our future workforce and protect our future world, guided by his principle that “There’s a Place, In Space, For Every Face.” His work extends to global diplomacy, where he helps lead United Nations space and sustainability initiatives for his 82-member Space 18th SDG coalition at the U.N. Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS).
Beyond his work in space, cyber, and technology, Robert’s commitment to service is grounded in his community, where he proudly protects people, property, and our nation’s critical infrastructure as a firefighter-paramedic, HAZMAT-technician, swiftwater specialist, and underwater rescue diver. This unique blend of high-tech strategic vision and hands-on public service informs his holistic approach to building a safer, more secure, and more prosperous future on Earth and in space.