IRVINE, Calif. and TORINO, Italy – Sept. 17, 2026 – Terran Orbital, a Lockheed Martin company and a global leader in satellite-based solutions primarily serving the aerospace and defense industries, today announced the promotion of Margherita Cardi to Vice President of European Operations & Head of Strategic Programs.
In her expanded role, Cardi will serve as the senior-most operational leader for Terran Orbital’s European organization, overseeing all local functions and departments in Italy and reporting directly to Peter Krauss, President and CEO of Terran Orbital and Managing Director of Tyvak International.
“Margherita has been an important part of Tyvak International almost from the beginning, and she has grown as a leader alongside the organization,” said Krauss. “She understands our customers, our programs and, most importantly, our people. She has proven that she can lead complex missions, build strong relationships with our institutional partners and bring teams together to execute. I am confident she is the right person to lead our European team through this next chapter.”
Cardi joined Tyvak International in 2016 as the company’s third employee and has held positions of increasing responsibility across systems engineering, program management, business development and executive leadership. Most recently, she served as Vice President of Programs and Business Development, leading Program Management, Business Development and Systems Engineering.
Throughout her tenure, Cardi has played a central role in managing and executing Tyvak International’s programs, particularly those supporting European institutional customers. She has led complex, multi-stakeholder space initiatives and helped secure major contracts with the European Space Agency (ESA), the Italian Space Agency (ASI) and commercial customers.
Among the programs Cardi has led is Milani, the CubeSat developed for ESA’s Hera planetary defense mission. As Milani Program Manager, Cardi led the spacecraft’s development and delivery for the pioneering deep-space mission to study the Didymos binary asteroid system. Hera is scheduled to arrive at Didymos in late 2026, with Milani expected to be released in early 2027 to support the mission’s detailed investigation of the asteroid system.
“Being part of Tyvak International since its early days and seeing what this team has built over the past 10 years has been an incredible experience,” said Cardi. “We have grown from a small team with an ambitious vision into an organization trusted to execute highly complex missions for some of Europe’s most important customers. I am proud of what we have accomplished together and excited to take on this responsibility as we continue growing our capabilities, strengthening our customer relationships and delivering the missions ahead.”
Cardi brings extensive experience in program execution, customer relations, organizational leadership and team development. She has also represented Tyvak International at industry events, keynote presentations, media engagements and a TEDx Talk.
Prior to joining Tyvak International, Cardi worked at Vitrociset S.p.A. in program management and systems engineering roles supporting the Vega launch program, including launch campaigns at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. She holds a master’s degree in Space Engineering and a second-level master’s in Space Systems and Services from Sapienza University of Rome.
In her new role, Cardi will oversee Tyvak International’s operations in Italy and help drive the execution of European programs while strengthening relationships with institutional, government and commercial customers. Krauss will remain Managing Director and legal corporate representative of Tyvak International.
About Terran Orbital
Terran Orbital specializes in satellite solutions for the aerospace and defense industries, providing end-to-end capabilities spanning spacecraft design, production, integration, testing and mission operations. Through Tyvak International, Terran Orbital maintains a strong presence in the European space market, supporting institutional, government and commercial missions from Torino, Italy.
For more information, visit terranorbital.com or follow Terran Orbital on LinkedIn, X, Facebook and Instagram.
Terran Orbital Media Inquiries:
pr@terranorbital.com
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