J. D. Russell

Last updated
J.D. Russell
J.D. Russell NASA New Shepard 28yh Mission NS-28.png
Born
Tucson, Arizona, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
EducationUniversity of Maryland, Harvard Business School
OccupationBusinessman
Known forFounder of InfoHOA and Alpha Funds; spaceflight on Blue Origin New Shepard NS-28 and NS-34 Missions
AwardsGen. Billy Mitchell Award (Civil Air Patrol)
Website https://spaceguy.com/

James "J.D." Russell is an American entrepreneur, spaceflight participant, and former law enforcement officer. He founded a community management software company InfoHOA in 2018 and launched Alpha Funds, a venture capital platform focused on aerospace and frontier technologies in 2025. [1] In November 2024, he flew aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard mission, becoming one of the first retired U.S. police officers to reach space and the 670 person to cross the Karman Line on the List of Space Travelers by First Flight. [2] He flew a second mission in August 2025 on Blue Origin NS-34 [3] .

Contents

Early life and education

Russell was born at Davis–Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona. [4] As a teenager, he joined the Civil Air Patrol and earned the General Billy Mitchell Award. [4] [5]

Career

During college, Russell entered law enforcement, serving first as a police officer in Maryland, and then as a federal Marine, Fish and Wildlife law enforcement game warden responsible for resource protection patrols.

Leaving police work, he moved into property services entrepreneurship. By 2015, he founded Harford Property Services in Maryland and Delaware doing business as HPS Management and in 2018 founded InfoHOA, a software-centered homeowners'-association management firm. [2] [1]

Blue Origin announced on November 15, 2024 that Russell would join five crewmates on mission NS-28 aboard the RSS First Steps for the 8th human flight of the New Shepard Program. The flight also included Emily Dawn Calandrelli. [1] The vehicle lifted off from West Texas at Launch Site One, also known as Corn Ranch, on November 22, 2025 and, after crossing the Kármán line (about 100 km). [2] The flight made Russell the 670th person to enter space on the List of Space Travelers by First Flight. [6]

On August 3, 2025 Russell completed a second New Shepard mission with Blue Origin on NS-34 aboard the RSS First Steps for the 14th human flight of the New Sheppard Program [7] . The crew included crypto pioneer and TRON founder Justin Sun [8] The mission was named "OneEarth" and included an internationally diverse crew with members for Hong Kong, India, Puerto Rico, Turkey, the United Kingdon, and Russell from the United States [9] [10] .

Drawing on his space flight profile, Russell launched Alpha Funds in June 2025. [11] The venture capital vehicle has announced a flagship project, Alpha Aerospace, aimed at early-stage propulsion and advanced manufacturing startups. [12] . [13]

Philanthropy

Russell founded the Victoria Russell Foundation, named for his late daughter, to promote children's literacy and to support families of first responders. [4] The nonprofit partners with Dolly Parton's Imagination Library to distribute free books to children under five. [14] The foundation currently supports two libraries, the Imagination Library of Harford County and The Imagination Library of St. Mary's County.

Awards

References

  1. 1 2 3 Wall, Mike (15 November 2024). "Next Blue Origin space tourism flight will launch 'Space Gal' Emily Calandrelli". Space.com. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 "Blue Origin launches ninth 'space tourism' flight". WSAW. Gray Television. 22 November 2024. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  3. ↑ "Blue Origin Astronaut J.D. Russell Launches Alpha Funds to Propel Aerospace Innovation". www.ktsm.com.
  4. 1 2 3 Hunter, Steve (November 22, 2024). "Biography of James (J.D.) Russell". Ken Reporter.
  5. 1 2 "J.D. Russell". Supercluster. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  6. ↑ "Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket to take six people to space". New York Post. 18 November 2024. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  7. ↑ "Blue Origin's Latest Launch Sends Crypto Billionaire Justin Sun to Space After He Bid $28M for Seat on 10-Minute Flight". Yahoo News. August 3, 2025.
  8. ↑ Raven Brunner. "Blue Origin's Latest Launch Sends Crypto Billionaire Justin Sun to Space After He Bid $28M for Seat on 10-Minute Flight". www.msn.com.
  9. ↑ "Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin sends 80‑year‑old Indian businessman and others into space". August 5, 2025 – via The Economic Times - The Times of India.
  10. ↑ "THRIVE Enters the Court: Le-Vel Announces Official Partnership with USA Pickleball". AccessWire via StreetInsider. 13 June 2025. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  11. ↑ "Blue Origin Astronaut J.D. Russell Launches Alpha Funds to Propel Aerospace Innovation". finance.yahoo.com.
  12. ↑ "Blue Origin Astronaut J.D. Russell Launches Alpha Funds to Propel Aerospace Innovation". Morningstar, Inc. June 13, 2025.
  13. ↑ {{cite press release |title=Blue Origin Astronaut J.D. Russell Launches Alpha Funds to Propel Aerospace Innovation.
  14. ↑ "The Victoria Russell Foundation". Harford Helps. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
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