Eytan Stibbe
Eytan Meir Stibbe is an Israeli former fighter pilot, businessman and commercial astronaut.
In November 2020 he paid Axiom Space to become a private astronaut on a ten day mission to the International Space Station aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft on Axiom Mission 1, a private crewed orbital spaceflight. The stay was extended to 17 days.
At the beginning of July, 2025, Eytan Stibbe was appointed Chancellor of the International Space University in France. In this role, he will take part in the university’s academic programs, help strengthen ties with international partners, promote educational and research initiatives, and support ISU’s global community of students and alumni. The appointment is for a three-year term.
Early life
Stibbe was born in Haifa, Israel, in 1958, to parents who had immigrated from the Netherlands in 1953. He grew up in the United States until the age of 7, when the family moved back to Ramat Gan, a suburb of Tel Aviv. His father was a soil and water researcher at the Volcani Institute in Rehovot, and his mother was a social worker at a mental health clinic in Ramat Gan. Stibbe studied at the in Ramat Gan and was active in the Israeli Scouts movement.Military career
In July 1976, Stibbe entered the Israeli Air Force's fighter pilot training course. He first served as a Skyhawk pilot in Squadrons 102 and 140, then moved to Squadron 201 and continued on to become an F-16 pilot in Squadron 117. During his time in the IAF he was assigned to 117 Squadron flying F-16s under the command of Colonel Ilan Ramon, who later became the first ever Israeli to fly in space aboard STS-107. He completed his military service in 1984 and continued to serve as a reservist in Squadron 117 until 2012. He attained the rank of colonel.Business career
In 1984, after his military service, Stibbe joined a team of advisers at Israel Aircraft Industries that was working on the development of systems for the Lavi fighter jet. In 1985, he was among the founders of the LR Group, which implemented projects and established infrastructures in developing countries. In 2011, he left LR and sold his share of the company. In 2012, he acquired 35% of Mitrelli, an engineering, procurement and construction company whose fields of operation were similar to those of LR. In 2018, Stibbe left Mitrelli and sold all of his shares in the company.Stibbe established Vital Capital Fund in 2010. The company invests in enterprises whose goal is to improve the economic, personal and social wellbeing of low- and middle-income communities. The fund's investment strategy is to invest in companies whose intention is to generate positive, measurable social and environmental impact alongside a competitive financial return.
He is a member of the advisory committee of Bridges Israel, an impact investment fund that invests in Israeli businesses. Stibbe is a partner in HarTech, which develops simulation systems; LISOD, Hospital of Israeli Oncology in Ukraine; Pangea Therapeutics, a digital healthcare company that develops highly personalized cancer medications and treatments based on computational genomics; and , an online STEM tutorial company.