A visionary leader and space entrepreneur, Richard serves as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of HyperSpace Propulsion, Inc. and is the Founder of the Company. In collaboration with other industry partners and a future NASA Space Act Agreement, HyperSpace is responsible for the development and delivery of the company’s SPACESTAR spaceplane and revolutionary propulsion system, HYSCRAM. He has personally designed and laid the scientific foundation of the rocket-based-combined-cycle (RBCC) plasma hybrid, HYSCRAM Engine, for rapid and efficient access to space with SPACESTAR. He has personally designed all three of the high-speed propulsion systems of HyperSpace, and created the mission and development plan for the current evolutionary flight demonstrators, and the full-scale SPACESTAR SpacePlane which the company will be selling to new and existing space lines like Virgin Galactic.
Richard is genuinely a unique presence in the space industry, combining the inventive flair to drive developments, business, partnership and capital processes forward in an aggressive entrepreneurial culture, with the unparalleled aptitude for business and technology commercialization in aerospace. He balances leadership of the HyperSpace Company and Programs against the target to first flight of the company’s revolutionary spaceplane, SPACESTAR, and it’s global sales, establishing point-to-point space travel, helping him to successfully kick-start commercialization and expansion.
In his previous roles he is also Founder and CEO of SonicBlue and HyperMach, young aerospace concerns which had developed revolutionary hybrid gas turbines for current airline OEM manufacturers, and beginning developments of a supersonic hybrid business jet. These companies were the melting pot for Richards creative innovations in space propulsion, along with his past industry history as a Hypersonics Programs Director (NASA X-43) and Vice President with Lockheed (Air Force X-33 Venture Star). In 2021 these companies began licensing their aerospace technologies to several global aerospace manufacturers, and revenue starting in 2022. Prior assignments earlier as Senior Vice President and Chief of Operations, at Arthur D. Little (ADL) Innovation and Technology Division, furthered Mr Lugg’s leadership in industry and then going on to joining the ADL Management and Investment Board in 2001. With oversight of industry investment and contract manufacturing in aerospace, energy, and automotive for manufacturing, and engineering, he managed 26 Vice President direct reports and a staff of 450 personal, of which 150 was the company’s largest research and development group. He was also responsible for serving a diverse range of Fortune 100, 500 and Blue Chip companies in contract prototyping and development for aerospace, automotive, robotics, medical devices, microelectronics and embedded software. Richard achieved record sales and set new growth track records at ADL in operating income, while successfully reducing operating costs in these businesses.
Earlier, with the space manufacturing and defense industry in the 1990s he held leadership roles in the development of the VentureStar X-33 Space Shuttle program, involved in building the first team of 100 to build two prototype half-scale space launch vehicles, pioneering 3D composite structures and rapid prototyping for the delta wing, the body, and aerospike engine powered space vehicle. Also of note, Richard led the charge and innovated airframe and propulsion design for what became the United States Air Force most successful cruise missile defense programs in the late 1998, the JASSM Missile Program.
With over 35 years of experience in aerospace, space launch, mission systems manufacturing, along with propulsion, airframe program and spacecraft vehicle development, strategy, operations and corporate and investment finance, his pioneering work has built companies and helped innovate everything from air breathing and space propulsion systems, to spacecraft airframe structural designs and even entire spacecraft systems programs running across decades like the US Space Shuttle Program.
