Axiom Space strengthens leadership as it pushes towards commercial space station era

Axiom Space is strengthening its financial and technology leadership as the Houston-based company seeks to make the leap from flying private astronauts to the International Space Station to operating permanent commercial infrastructure in orbit.

The company announced on Wednesday that it has appointed Zach Gitomer as chief financial officer and Erick Wegerer as chief information officer. The two executives will help oversee Axiom’s finances, information systems and cybersecurity as it develops a commercial space station, operates astronaut missions and builds next-generation spacesuits.

The appointments come at a critical stage for Axiom, which has emerged as one of the leading companies working to commercialise human activity in low-Earth orbit.

Since 2022, Axiom has operated four crewed missions to the International Space Station. Its inaugural flight, Axiom Mission 1, became the first all-private astronaut mission to the orbiting laboratory. The 17-day mission included more than 25 scientific and research investigations.

The company subsequently flew Axiom Missions 2 and 3 before launching its fourth mission in June 2025. The Ax-4 crew included astronauts from the United States, India, Poland and Hungary, and spent more than two weeks aboard the station conducting research and educational activities.

NASA has selected Axiom to conduct a fifth private astronaut mission, currently targeted to launch no earlier than January 2027.

Axiom Chief Executive Officer and President Dr Jonathan Cirtain said Gitomer and Wegerer had strong track records of helping complex organisations advance their strategic priorities and would strengthen the company’s executive team.

Gitomer joins Axiom with more than 15 years of experience in corporate finance, capital markets, mergers and acquisitions, and strategic advisory work.

According to the company, he has advised on approximately 100 financing and strategic transactions representing nearly $100 billion in total value.

Before joining Axiom, Gitomer advised privately held and publicly traded growth companies, working with management teams and boards on financial strategy, capital allocation and major corporate decisions.

He previously held senior investment banking and capital markets roles at Bank of America, Merrill Lynch and Citi, where he worked with technology and other high-growth companies.

Gitomer holds a bachelor’s degree in finance and accounting from New York University’s Stern School of Business.

Wegerer brings extensive experience in technology strategy, cloud computing, enterprise software and cybersecurity.

He previously served as chief information officer at Insitu, a Boeing subsidiary specialising in unmanned aircraft systems. At Insitu, Wegerer led the company’s information technology and security organisation while overseeing cloud infrastructure, enterprise resource planning and cybersecurity programmes.

He also held leadership positions at GBW Railcar Services and business software company Sage.

Wegerer earned a Master of Business Administration from Washington State University and a bachelor’s degree in management information systems from Western Illinois University. He also holds several technology industry certifications.

The executives join Axiom as the company pursues several technically complex and capital-intensive projects.

NASA selected Axiom in 2020 to develop at least one habitable commercial module that could initially be attached to the International Space Station before eventually becoming part of an independent commercial station. The project is intended to help maintain a human presence in low-Earth orbit after the ISS is retired.

Axiom is also developing the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU) for NASA’s Artemis lunar exploration programme. NASA said in February that the suit had undergone more than 850 hours of pressurised testing with people inside it, alongside underwater trials and simulated lunar-gravity evaluations.

Those programmes place significant demands on financing, enterprise technology and cybersecurity, making the chief financial officer and chief information officer roles central to Axiom’s plans to expand beyond individual astronaut flights.

The appointments reflect the company’s broader transition from a spaceflight services provider into a developer of orbital infrastructure and equipment designed to support long-term missions in low-Earth orbit and on the Moon.