SPACE SYMPOSIUM SPEAKERS

Michel Friedling

MGEN Michel Friedling, FRA-AF (Ret.)

Look Up Space
Look Up Space

A former general in the French air and space force, fighter pilot, graduate engineer from the École de l’Air, graduate of the École de Guerre and the Centre des Hautes Etudes Militaires (CEM), and former auditor of the IHEDN (Institut des Hautes Etudes de la Défense Nationale), Michel Friedling has held various positions in combat units and central management within the French Ministry of the Armed Forces.

Appointed head of national military space activities in 2018, he was one of the key players in drawing up the French defense space strategy published in July 2019, before becoming France’s first Space Commander until 2022.

Since then, he has been co-founder and CEO of Look Up Space, which aims to make space safer and more sustainable. In 2023, Look Up Space raised the largest seed capital in French spacetech, and is a member of Gifas, Alliance New Space and France Deeptech. Look Up Space was named one of the “Inventors of the Year 2024” at the Paris Saclay Summit. General Friedling is also founder and partner of Dragonfly Space Partners, a consulting firm specializing in the space sector. He is also an advisor and board member of several space and aerospace companies.

Michel Friedling has logged more than 2,400 flying hours on fighter aircraft and 71 war missions to his credit. He is Grand Officier de l’Ordre National du Mérite, Officier de la Légion d’Honneur, Officier de la Legion of Honor (USA), and decorated with the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette (Japan).

He is the author of “SPACE COMMANDER, ISSUES, THREATS AND CHALLENGES OF THE NEW SPACE AGE “, published by Bouquins in October 2023.

Related Sessions

SSA: A Critical Need for Space Operations

Thursday, April 11, 2024

11:20 am - 12:00 pm

Track: