Thomas E. Maultsby Appointed to AeroAstro Board of Directors

Ashburn, VA – January 27, 2004

AeroAstro, Inc., a leading provider of small satellites and related technology products, today announced the appointment of Mr. Thomas E. Maultsby to its Board of Directors. Mr. Maultsby has thirty-five years of government and industry space program experience. His appointment to the Board will strengthen AeroAstro’s relationship with the Department of Defense (DoD) and other government clients.

Mr. Maultsby retired from the US Air Force in 1989 with the rank of Lt. Colonel. His Air Force assignments have spanned satellite design, production, testing, launch operations, satellite ground systems acquisition, and program management. His specific positions within the government included Senior Air Force Representative to NASA Headquarters for DoD Shuttle operations, Assistant for Space Policy in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Air Force for advanced technology insertion.

In addition to the positions held within the government, Mr. Maultsby has filled a range of positions in the commercial aerospace industry. These included Director of Advanced Concepts at MacDonnell Douglas Electronics Systems Company, Senior Vice President and Director of the Decisions Technology Division of GRC International, and founder and President of Rubicon LLC, a specialized aerospace consulting firm.

Mr. Maultsby has also served on numerous independent review committees and has held a variety of additional related positions. From 1998 to 1999, he was a member of the Defense Science Board Task Force on Space Superiority. From 1992 to 1995, he served on the Board of Directors (Chairman in 1994) of the Security Affairs Support Association.

Dr. Rick Fleeter, AeroAstro’s CEO, said, “AeroAstro’s board is a select group of individuals with expertise spanning a diverse combination of technical, financial, managerial and programmatic disciplines. The addition of Tom Maultsby, with experience in all these areas, adds especially to our capability in supporting US Government space activities, our first, and still our largest, business area.”

AeroAstro, Inc. is a leader in innovative micro and nanospacecraft applications – including science, remote sensing, and communications – that open the space frontier to a larger and more varied customer base. AeroAstro manufactures low-cost satellite systems and components, used in its own spacecraft and for spacecraft development in the US and abroad. NASA, the US Air Force, commercial and academic customers have all relied on AeroAstro spacecraft and components over our 15-year history.