Apple Car Sensor Manager Departs Company for Space Startup Astra

Benjamin Lyon, who was heading up a sensor team working on the Apple Car, recently departed Apple to join space startup Astra as the company's chief engineer.

Apple car wheel icon feature purple
Lyon shared the news in an interview with TechCrunch, where he said that he moved on to Astra because he was interested in Astra's vision as it works on small satellite deployment. "I think the Astra vision is this magical combination of fundamentally taking the rocket science out of space. How do you do that? Well, you better have a great foundation of a team, and a great foundation of core technologies that you can bring together in order to make a compelling series of products," he said.

Prior to leaving Apple, Lyon worked on the iPhone, input devices and sensor hardware, and finally, the Apple Car. In 2016, he was working under Bob Mansfield, but Apple Car leadership has since shifted to AI chief John Giannandrea. Prior to leaving Apple, Lyon was reporting to Doug Field, the former Tesla engineer serving as vice president on the project.

Lyon has been on the Apple Car team since 2014, and according to Bloomberg, weathered all of the changes in leadership until moving on to Astra this year.

Popular Stories

wwdc sans text feature

Apple Rumored to Announce New Product on February 19

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:22 pm PST by
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld. The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld. Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...
Apple Logo Zoomed

Tim Cook Teases Plans for Apple's Upcoming 50th Anniversary

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:54 pm PST by
Apple turns 50 this year, and its CEO Tim Cook has promised to celebrate the milestone. The big day falls on April 1, 2026. "I've been unusually reflective lately about Apple because we have been working on what do we do to mark this moment," Cook told employees today, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "When you really stop and pause and think about the last 50 years, it makes your heart ...
Finder Siri Feature

Why Apple's iOS 26.4 Siri Upgrade Will Be Bigger Than Originally Promised

Friday February 6, 2026 3:06 pm PST by
In the iOS 26.4 update that's coming this spring, Apple will introduce a new version of Siri that's going to overhaul how we interact with the personal assistant and what it's able to do. The iOS 26.4 version of Siri won't work like ChatGPT or Claude, but it will rely on large language models (LLMs) and has been updated from the ground up. Upgraded Architecture The next-generation...
maxresdefault

Apple Shows Off a Key Reason to Upgrade to the iPhone 17

Saturday February 7, 2026 9:26 am PST by
Apple today shared an ad that shows how the upgraded Center Stage front camera on the latest iPhones improves the process of taking a group selfie. "Watch how the new front facing camera on iPhone 17 Pro takes group selfies that automatically expand and rotate as more people come into frame," says Apple. While the ad is focused on the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, the regular iPhone...
iOS 26

iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Tuesday February 3, 2026 7:47 am PST by
While the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate is now available ahead of a public release, the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April. Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far. iOS 26.3 iPhone to Android Transfer Tool iOS 26.3 makes it easier...

Top Rated Comments

Apple_Robert Avatar
65 months ago

Apple should start lookin into Space instead of Apple Vehicle. More profit margin for them.
How is there profit margin in space for Apple? I think you are confused again.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Apple_Robert Avatar
65 months ago

This sounds like someone leaving because they were being passed by at Apple.
Probably a win win for both....
That is a lot of projecting on your part. Nothing in the article suggest that line of thinking.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
robjulo Avatar
65 months ago

How is there profit margin in space for Apple? I think you are confused again.
It's just the typical nonsensical posting, with zero substance....in first to collect likes.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Attirex Avatar
65 months ago

Apple should start lookin into Space instead of Apple Vehicle. More profit margin for them.
APPLE ROCKET+ SE PRO MAX S
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Apple_Robert Avatar
65 months ago

well, given that they are working on this presumably for 5,6,7 or so yeas, I am sure that plans have changed jut as often and people get fed up with situations like that, not saying it's the case for this specific one ...
If I live long enough to see a Jetsons car come to fruition, I will be happy. lol Make it happen Apple.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
il_teo77 Avatar
65 months ago
When I read news like these sometimes I wonder if working for years on a project of which you cannot speak with anybody has something to do with the decision. Purely from a human, psychological, point of view. I think it can be frustrating at times to apply everything you know to something no one has seen and maybe won’t for a longtime
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)