Global Speaker Series: Capozzoli Urges Students To Pursue Their Passions

Peter Capozzoli ’91 — who launches rockets for a living and works to one day put humans on Mars — shared many interesting stories as guest speaker for Thayer’s Global Speaker Series event, which was held in the Middle School Forum on Feb. 19. 

But perhaps his best moment came near the end of the night when, asked by Head of School Chris Fortunato P ’26, ’28 to offer advice to students in exactly five words, the engineer in him delivered. 

“Do something you care about,” said Capozzoli, senior director of mission management at SpaceX, where he leads a team of mission managers and engineers tasked with executing satellite launches for commercial telecommunications, national security, Earth observations, and — yes — interplanetary missions. 

Capozzoli described himself as “a math and science kid” who always had a passion for space and cars. He shared a little of his somewhat circuitous route to SpaceX, a company he actually cold-called in 2002 when it was then an unknown start-up, and told his audience that one never knows what life and/or job experiences will come in handy when taking that next step. For Capozzoli, details of such experiences include an undergraduate degree from Tufts University; two degrees from MIT — one a master’s in aeronautics and astronautics and the other an MBA with a focus on technology entrepreneurship; rewarding time at Boston-based Arthur D. Little, the world’s oldest consulting firm; and work as an energy consultant, where he handled various clients and projects. 

Throughout all those important experiences, however, Capozzoli kept returning to the ideas of space and entrepreneurship, forging a path that would lead him to his current role at SpaceX.

“I had safety,” he told the crowd, “and I kept trading it in for something else — for curiosity.” 

Capozzoli offered his own personal story, but he also spoke of his work at SpaceX, whose stated mission is twofold: to lower the cost of access to space; and to make life interplanetary. 

“Our big goal is Mars,” he said. “We’re going to the moon, too, but Mars is the goal.” 

SpaceX has launched 552 times, Capozzoli said, and it has also recovered its booster rockets 513 times, a technical feat that industry experts said couldn’t be done just a few years ago. A modest and low-key speaker, Capozzoli couldn’t help but smile as he said that those launch numbers become outdated almost as soon as he speaks them. 

“We’re launching a rocket every two to three days,” he said. 

Chief Advancement & Engagement Officer Melissa Forger ’92 P ’25, ’28, ’29, who recalled Capozzoli from her own Thayer days, introduced him to the Global Speaker Series audience. She shared a few details about Capozzoli, such as that he enjoyed launching model rockets in his backyard and that he attended space camp … twice, before expressing how proud she and fellow alums are that has achieved his lifelong dreams. 

Director of Global Engagement Kim Gilmore also addressed the audience and thanked Capozzoli for spending the entire school day meeting with students, faculty, and staff. Those words of gratitude were echoed by Fortunato. 

“You’re inspiring to us, and we’re grateful to have you here,” he said. 

For his part, Capozzoli expressed thanks for the opportunity to return to campus and share his story with the Thayer community. 

“Hopefully I’ve convinced a few people to go to Mars,” he said. 

The Global Speaker Series brings thought leaders, innovators, and difference-makers to the Thayer campus to engage the community in issues that matter to the world.