Eric Wostenberg is a distinguished aerospace engineering leader with over 17 years of experience spanning startups and large-scale enterprises. As the former Senior Director of Vehicle Engineering at Virgin Orbit, he managed a team of more than 60 engineers and technicians, overseeing the design and analysis of LauncherOne hardware, the 747 air rocket release mechanism, structural test, materials & processes, and tooling. His strong background in mechanical design, analysis, fabrication, and automation of large composite structures is exemplified by LauncherOne's filament wound linerless composite cryo tanks and qualification of a carbon-carbon 2nd stage nozzle extension.

Before joining Virgin Orbit, Eric was an early team member at SpaceX, where he developed hardware for the Falcon 9 booster and Dragon spacecraft, including the first stage aft thermal shield, early booster recovery systems, Dragon cargo Flight Releasable Attach Mechanisms (FRAM), and internal oxygen tank cameras.