Been There. Done That.
OrbitalMed was founded by medical doctors who are former NASA astronauts. Let their firsthand experience illuminate your path to space.
Our team
OrbitalMed was co-founded by physicians, astronauts, and strategists with direct flight and clinical experience:
Dr. Bernard Harris – Astronaut and physician; oversees clinical systems and investor relations.
Dr. Robert Satcher – Astronaut and orthopedic oncologist; leads translational research.
Dr. Kenneth Wells – CEO; physician executive, corporate operations, and business integration.
Dr. Gregory Pinnell – COO; aeromedical and telehealth logistics.
A. Ché Bolden – Chief Vision & Strategy Officer; aerospace and strategy insights
Dr. Scott Phillips – CTO; emergency and expeditionary medicine.
Together they bring unmatched credibility and execution capacity across medicine, aerospace, and enterprise strategy.
CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER AND FOUNDER
Bernard Harris, Jr., MD, MBA, FACP
Dr. Harris is currently CEO & Managing Partner of Vesalius Ventures, Inc., a venture capital firm that invests in early- to mid-stage Healthcare technologies and companies. He is responsible for managing a portfolio of private assets of early- and mid-stage venture investments and operating companies.
Dr. Harris was at NASA for ten years, where he conducted research in musculoskeletal physiology and clinical investigations of space adaptation and developed in-flight medical devices to extend Astronaut stays in space. A veteran astronaut for over thirty years, he has logged more than 438 hours and traveled over 7.2 million miles in space.
He is a member of the Board of Directors for Raytheon Technologies (NYSE: RTX), MassMutual, Solventum (NYSE:SOLV), and U.S. Physical Therapy (NYSE: USPH). Dr. Harris served as a Board of Director/Trustee for Salient Midstream & MLP Fund and Salient MF Trust, and Barings Fund & BBDC. In addition, he is on the non-profit Boards of the Texas Medical Center (past Chair), Astronaut Scholarship Foundation, and the Harris Institute & Foundation.
He earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Houston, a Master of Medical Science from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Houston, and a Doctorate of Medicine from Texas Tech University School of Medicine. He completed a Residency in Internal Medicine at the Mayo Clinic, a National Research Council Fellowship in Endocrinology at the NASA Ames Research Center, and trained as a Flight Surgeon at the Aerospace School of Medicine, Brooks Air Force Base. He is also a licensed private pilot and certified scuba diver.
Dr. Harris is the recipient of numerous awards, including nine (9) honorary doctorates, NASA Space Flight Medal, NASA Award of Merit, National Space Grant Distinguished Services Award, James Bryant Conant Award, a fellow of the American College of Physicians, a fellow of the American Telemedicine Association, a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the recipient of the 2000 Horatio Alger Award and 2024 Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award. In May 2025, Dr. Harris was inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame.
He is the author of Dream Walker: A Journey of Achievement and Inspiration (2010) and Embracing Infinite Possibilities: Letting Go Of Fear To Find Your Highest Potential (2025).
CONSULTANT AND FOUNDER
Robert L. Satcher, MD, Ph.D
Dr. Satcher is an astronaut and orthopaedic oncologist in Houston, Texas. He has provided medical services in under-resourced countries throughout Africa, as well as in Central and South America. His research focuses on bone-metastatic disease, leading to the identification of new curative treatment options through cellular, molecular, and personalized medicine strategies. In 2004, Dr. Satcher was selected by NASA for the U.S. astronaut program and subsequently flew aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis (STS-129) in November 2009. During the mission, he performed two spacewalks, totaling over 12 hours of extravehicular activity.
Dr. Satcher earned his B.S. and Ph.D. degrees in chemical engineering from MIT and his medical degree from Harvard Medical School, Health Sciences & Technology Division. His postgraduate training included postdoctoral research fellowships, a residency in orthopaedic surgery at the University of California — Berkeley and San Francisco, respectively — and an orthopaedic oncology fellowship at the University of Florida, Gainesville.
He has served on numerous boards, including Voorhees University (an HBCU), where he was Board Chair overseeing the transition from Voorhees College to Voorhees University; the Whitehead Institute of MIT; Teach For America; Space Center Houston; NASA advisory boards for human spaceflight; and a National Academy of Sciences panel to assess cancer risk in astronauts following spaceflight.
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Kenneth Wells, MD, MBA, MPH
Dr. Kenneth Wells is a seasoned executive whose career encompasses a broad spectrum of corporate health experience, including clinical medicine, health benefits, public health, pharmacy, and risk management. His expertise extends to board service, where he has demonstrated global, strategic, and operational proficiency relevant to diverse markets. Dr. Wells has held the position of chairman on multiple boards and board committees and is recognized as a frequent speaker at global health conferences and universities, focusing on healthcare policy, population health, and corporate health and benefit strategies.
With more than three decades of experience delivering tailored healthcare services and corporate wellness programs worldwide, Dr. Wells offers a visionary perspective on building successful businesses. His advanced clinical skills and comprehensive, current understanding of medical practices and healthcare trends position him as a subject matter expert. Dr. Wells is adept at integrating objective and subjective considerations, and his strategic mindset, commercial orientation, interest in technology, and disciplined fiscal approach are assets to boardroom deliberations and decision-making. His insight, gained through oversight roles in international, complex, and dynamic organizations, is now leveraged to provide guidance to senior leaders. He is regarded in the boardroom as collaborative, thoughtful, focused, and knowledgeable, and is recognized as a diversity candidate who values and embraces diversity.
Dr. Wells earned a master’s degree in management from Northwestern University, a medical doctorate and a master’s in public health from the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston, and a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from Texas Southern University. He completed a fellowship in primary care policy with the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services and residencies in occupational and family medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center, as well as aviation medicine instruction at the U.S. Army School of Aerospace Medicine. Dr. Wells is licensed to practice medicine in Texas and holds a Texas insurance license. He also holds certification as a Senior Professional in Human Resources from the HR Certification Institute (SHRM).
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
Dr. Gregory Pinnell, MD
Dr. Gregory Pinnell is president of Airdocs Aeromedical Support Services, a multi-specialty group providing a variety of services to the aviation community. He has 25 years of aviation medicine experience and has been a pilot for 43 years.
He is a Board-Certified Family Practice Physician and Senior HIMS Aviation Medical Examiner in Michigan. He served as a Chief Flight Surgeon and Commander for the 434th Aerospace Medicine Squadron at Grissom Air Reserve Base, Indiana. He also served as Deputy Chief of Bioastronautics for Human Spaceflight Support at Patrick AFB working 23 Space Shuttle missions plus Soyuz support.
He serves as an adjunct professor teaching Aviation Physiology and Human Factors at Western Michigan University College of Aviation. He is a President of the Civil Aviation Medical Association (CAMA) and AME Consultant to the Federal Air Surgeon. He is a Fellow of the Aerospace Medical Association (AsMA). He is a member of the Experimental Aircraft Association’s (EAA) Aeromedical Council.
CHIEF VISION & STRATEGY OFFICER
A. Ché Bolden
Ché Bolden is a strategic leader at the intersection of human performance, aerospace medicine, and mission-driven innovation. As a founding partner and Vision & Strategy Officer for OrbitalMed, he helps shape the future of Cross-Gravity Health – where medical systems built for space missions strengthen healthcare on Earth.
Bolden draws on his 26-year career in the U.S. Marine Corps, where he led organizations through complex change, integrated advanced technologies, and built resilient systems under high risk. As a TOPGUN graduate, weapons and tactics instructor, and former Chief Modernization Officer for Marine Corps Installations, he learned to turn frontier challenges into frameworks that drive real outcomes.
He is also CEO of the Charles F. Bolden Group and the Executive Chair of the Inter Astra Consortium — two strategic collaborators building global alliances that open doors into the business of space. His work centers on access, opportunity, and Talent Optimization, guided by a core belief: the next major leap in healthcare could come from the environments farthest from Earth.
In OrbitalMed, Bolden focuses on enterprise strategy, governance design, and partnerships that unite government, commercial operators, medical institutions, and research networks. His goal is simple: ensure the expansion of human spaceflight also expands access to advanced health solutions for communities everywhere.
CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER
Dr. Scott Phillips
Dr. Phillips has a history of over 20 years as an Air Force flight surgeon, and is a board certified Ear Nose and Throat physician in private practice in Indianapolis. He also serves as a consultant to the FAA’s Federal Air Surgeon. A long-time instructor and nationally recognized speaker and researcher, Dr. Phillips serves as an associate professor at two medical schools, and actively participates in the education of military physicians for the Air Force, Army, and Navy. He also served as the Deputy Chief of Bioastronautics for the DoD Human Spaceflight Support Program.
