June 21, 2023

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

Blake

Global law firm Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati announced that Curt Blake has joined the firm as senior of counsel in the Seattle office, and that the firm is using the occasion to launch a NewSpace industry group, leveraging the firm's existing experience representing clients in the sector and Blake's expertise. Blake co-founded and was formerly CEO of Spaceflight, a provider of integrated launch services and orbital transfer vehicles for small satellites. During Blake's 12-plus years at Spaceflight, he helped establish its network of launch providers, which included SpaceX, Rocket Lab, Roscosmos, Orbital, JAXA, Arianespace, and NSIL. He also established relationships with key commercial, civilian, and defense-related customers, resulting in more than 470 spacecraft deployed from over 55 different missions. Wilson Sonsini represents a range of NewSpace sector clients in corporate, regulatory, intellectual property, and litigation matters, as well as in technology transactions. The firm's NewSpace sector clients include investors and companies such as Astranis Space Technologies, BlackSky, Lunasonde, Skylo Technologies, and Slingshot Aerospace. Blake was a member of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation Board and is currently a contributor to numerous satellite conferences. Before co-founding Spaceflight, he served in a variety of senior executive and legal roles at software companies, including Microsoft, Aldus, Corbis, and Starwave. Blake earned his J.D. and M.B.A. from the University of Washington's Schools of Law and Business, after receiving a B.A. from the same institution.