Duke Valentour

Duke Valentour is an Industrial and Systems Engineer at Ball Aerospace, a BAE Systems division in Boulder, Colorado. Ball Aerospace, operating as Space & Mission Systems, focuses on developing technologies that support space missions related to national security, intelligence, and civilian applications.

Duke holds a Commercial Pilot License and is a Certified Flight Instructor. His passion for aviation was sparked early on by his grandfather, who encouraged his interest in flying.

In his engineering role, Duke examines workflows to measure cycle and process times in assembly and fabrication operations. He leads initiatives to improve these processes across Research and Development, Production, and Depot Programs focused on Optical Systems. His responsibilities include conducting root cause analyses to identify production challenges and develop sustainable solutions. Duke works closely with production technicians to enhance processes and product quality.

He interned at Ball Aerospace in 2020 and later secured a full-time role. In 2024, he was promoted to his current position. That year, Ball Aerospace was acquired by BAE Systems and incorporated into the Space & Mission Systems division.

Jonathan Wayne Valentour’s interest in aviation began during childhood visits to the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force near Dayton, Ohio, where he often went with his grandfather, Colonel Wayne Basset. These visits inspired his fascination with military aviation. While interning at Ball Aerospace in 2021, Jonathan passed his private pilot check ride and earned his instrument rating by late 2023.

In early 2024, Jonathan obtained his commercial pilot license and flight instructor certification. He began working as a tow pilot and flight instructor at Mile High Gliding in Boulder.

Duke holds endorsements for complex airplanes, high-performance aircraft, tailwheel operations, and glider towing. He has accumulated about 800 flight hours, including 250 in tailwheel aircraft and 10 in complex airplanes. His professional experience includes flight instruction at Journeys Aviation and glider towing at Mile High Gliding, providing flight and ground instruction.

Jonathan attended Archbishop Alter High School in Kettering, Ohio, where he played baseball and football. His football team reached the state playoffs during his sophomore, junior, and senior years. In 2017, he enrolled at Ohio State University in Columbus and earned a Bachelor of Science in Integrated Systems Engineering. While at OSU, Jonathan served as Business Development Lead for the Buckeye Space Launch Initiative from 2020 to 2021.