Don Brown

As Head of Global Government, Amazon Project Kuiper, Don Brown is responsible for the development of Kuiper Low Earth Orbiting (LEO) satellite architectures and products for international government customers. Prior to Amazon Kuiper, Don held leadership roles at the world’s major space operators including PanAmSat, Intelsat, and Telesat. Recently, Don was the General Manager and Senior Management Official of Telesat U.S. Services, LLC. Don was also the co-founder of USA TODAY Sky Radio, the first satellite delivered inflight broadcast service, and the President of QRadio, a streaming music/technology service developed by Quincy Jones to create new audiences for African music.

Don Brown led teams which built the Telesat “Blackjack/Croupier” satellite for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the Cisco “IP Router in Space” (“IRIS”) payload on Intelsat IS-14, launched in November 2009, and the Australian Defence Force (ADF) UHF payload, launched on Intelsat IS-22 in 2012, among others. The ADF Hosted Payload was named by “Via Satellite” magazine as one of the “30 Events that Shaped the Last 30 Years in Satellite.”

In 2020-2022, Don Brown was a member of the Space Enterprise Advisory Group (“SpEAG”) supporting Space Systems Command (SSC), U.S. Space Force. SpEAG is a group of 10-15 senior industry officials and former flag officers supporting the U.S. Space Force as it accelerates and increases its engagement with the commercial and international space industry. Don Brown has also served on the Satellite Task Force of the National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee to the President of the United States and was Co-Chair of the Government Services Working Group of the Satellite Industry Association. He is a graduate of Princeton University and is a frequent speaker on commercial satellite operations and national security.
Mr. Brown is an advocate for increased commercial space engagement in government systems. With Air Force Colonel Mike Moyles, he wrote a multi-part series for Space News entitled “Rethinking the Relationship: What’s the appropriate balance between government and commercial space industry for the next generation of satellite communications?” Mr. Brown founded the “Hosted Payload Alliance” and has participated in countless policy fora concerning commercial space.

Don is an active contributor to the performing arts in Washington and nationally. Don has served on the Board of Directors for the Washington National Opera at the Kennedy Center, on the Executive Committee of the Glimmerglass Festival Board of Directors, and currently serves on the Advisory Board of the Seattle Opera.