Matthew Cook

Head of ESA Operations, UK Space Agency & Dual-Use Space Technologies Member-at-Large, NATO Science & Technology Organisation

Matthew Cook is an accomplished Governmental Scientist with experience in Defence and Space Science. As Head of ESA Operations at the UK Space Agency, he is responsible for coordinating and cohering the UK’s ESA portfolio (approximately 70% of the UK Space Agency’s entire budget). During his tenure, he has led the transformation of the Agency’s ESA Delivery and Governance structures, secured £1.8bn for the UK’s investment at the ESA Council of Ministers in 2022, and overseen a further increase of £112m-worth of ESA Contracts to the UK Space Sector via new commercial opportunities. Before joining the UK Space Agency, Matthew was the UK’s Air Protection Science Adviser at the Ministry of Defence, where he successfully delivered the Electromagnetic Activities Dominance strategy and Next-Generation Air Survivability strategy; he was also awarded a Vice Chief of Defence Staff Commendation in the 2022 New Years Honours List for revolutionising the way UK air platforms are protected from hostile threats. Matthew has a Masters in Astrophysics from Aberystwyth University, is a Chartered Physicist with the Institute of Physics, and is appointed as the NATO Science and Technology Organisation’s ‘Member at Large’ for Dual-Use Space Technologies.”