Sure, you've heard of (and might even be Twitter-stalking) Elon Musk and Richard Branson, but you're likely not familiar with one of their most influential peers.

Tory Bruno is CEO of United Launch Alliance (ULA), a joint venture of aerospace giants Boeing and Lockheed Martin. The combined effort was created in 2006 and has since essentially been the go-to contractor when the U.S. government needs to get something into space.

Long seen as a de facto monopoly for U.S. space launches, ULA has been facing increased competitive pressure from SpaceX in recent years, resulting in a 2014 restructuring that brought in Bruno (a 30-year Lockheed veteran) to help reduce launch costs by as much as 50 percent.

While SpaceX and Virgin Galactic get most of the public's attention when it comes to privatized space flight, Bruno is working to raise the image of the more established ULA. One of the most interesting and visible ways he's doing that is by getting personally involved in Twitter.

Bruno's tweets range from real-time launch updates and proud recaps of successful missions to taking jabs at competitors and chatting cordially with an account called @FakeToryBruno.

Before we get to our brief chat with Bruno about the potential he sees in social media, here are a few of our favorite Twitter moments:

@SpaceNews_Inc @elonmusk Another round of strange articles. It's easy to make excuses, but hard to make history. #91andcounting — Tory Bruno (@torybruno) January 14, 2015

@elonmusk @TrampolinRocket Almost. Good luck next time. I still have people from DCX. Let me know if we can help pic.twitter.com/cRLK0W0pwP — Tory Bruno (@torybruno) January 16, 2015

@KristiB67 @elonmusk Know what its like to lose a bird. I'd never wish that on anyone. Nor on the customers who have so much more at stake — Tory Bruno (@torybruno) January 11, 2015

@faketorybruno Hi Fake Tory. Any chance you could add a full head of hair to my fake profile pic? — Tory Bruno (@torybruno) January 12, 2015

@faketorybruno At this point, I no longer care about color. Close enough. — Tory Bruno (@torybruno) January 12, 2015

Info graphic of our launch tempo. Busy 2014. Another crowd in 2015. One a month, sometimes 2 per week… pic.twitter.com/RYRo4zch5S — Tory Bruno (@torybruno) January 10, 2015

@NathanFillion Captain, that was one of my 2 million pound thrust Atlas rockets. Let me know if you'd like a closer view sometime. — Tory Bruno (@torybruno) December 15, 2014

We reached out to Bruno to find out why he'd gotten onto Twitter and what he's thought of the experience and benefits so far. Here's our quick Q&A:

Adweek: You look like you're having a lot of fun on Twitter. You don't seem to mind engaging critics or competitors, and you're surprisingly sassy for an aerospace exec. What was your goal in getting on Twitter? Has that goal evolved as you've gotten more active?

Tory Bruno: I am a newcomer to social media. I find this medium very exciting. It has the potential to reach so many people almost instantly. My goals were simply to let the space enthusiast community become aware that this great company, the world's premier launch provider, ULA, was out there. My goal has evolved to also giving my employees a voice. We have a lot to say about the future of space.

What value do you think it brings to ULA to have both an official Twitter feed (@ulalaunch) and your account as CEO? Was it your idea to get on Twitter personally?

Yes, it was my idea to get on Twitter with a personal account. I have lots of enthusiastic, brilliant employees. As we began to give them this opportunity, I saw that I needed to get out there and model the way. Leaders go first, and by having both company and personal Twitter feeds, I am able to apply a personal flavor to events and provide a real person that followers can connect with.

Since the VSS Enterprise's crash, the private space race began to feel a lot more serious and weighty. How can space execs active in social media balance the fun and excitement of this new era of exploration while also reflecting how much is a stake with these launches?

We are on the very beginning of a great adventure where humankind will find a destiny beyond our planet. As with any great human journey, it will be a high-stakes endeavor, fraught with enormous risks and profound opportunity. Space execs can help articulate a vision of what's possible, creating excitement and inspiration, while simultaneously reminding the public of just how hard space is. Every rocket launch is an act of defiance, overcoming physics with unimaginable power outside normal human experience. Those of us who have spent our lives in this world are uniquely able to communicate it.