Wanda M. Austin to Receive the 2016 AIAA Goddard Astronautics Award
Honored for Extraordinary Leadership, Vision, Inspiration, and Contributions to the Nation's
Space Programs
March 29, 2016 – Reston, Va. – Wanda M. Austin, an American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Honorary Fellow, and president and CEO of The Aerospace Corporation, has won the 2016 AIAA Goddard Astronautics Award. Austin will receive the award at the AIAA Aerospace Spotlight Awards Gala, June 15, at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, in Washington, D.C.
The award honors Austin’s “extraordinary leadership, vision, inspiration, and contributions to the nation’s space programs.”
“Wanda Austin’s leadership and vision has had a wide impact – spanning the aerospace industry and our nation’s national security apparatus,” said Sandy Magnus, AIAA executive director. “From her work in system engineering improving military communication systems, to her efforts to ensure the efficiency of our defense satellite systems – she has helped keep our nation safe from harm. She is a bold and decisive leader and embodies all that the Goddard award stands for. On behalf of AIAA and our members, I congratulate Dr. Austin on her receipt of this year’s Goddard Astronautics Award, and thank her for her efforts to keep our nation a strong and prosperous one.”
In her position at The Aerospace Corporation, Austin regularly works with the U.S. Air Force, the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), NASA, and other government agencies to ensure the viability of almost every national security space program. Austin has overseen the development and deployment of critical military communication systems, including the Air Force Satellite Communications program, the Defense Satellite Communication Systems, and the Military Satellite Communications system. Austin’s other contributions to the U.S. national security space program include: working on the National Security Space Master Plan Task Force for the Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Space; contributing to the U.S. Human Spaceflight Review Committee; leading the Air Force Scientific Advisory Board’s study on the use of small satellites; and supporting numerous Defense Science Board studies. She has also served on the NASA Advisory Council and the Defense Intelligence Agency’s MASINT Technology Advisory Panel, among numerous other boards.
Austin has also championed science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education throughout her career. Under her leadership, The Aerospace Corporation has been an active participant in the MathCounts, US First Robotics, and Change the Equation programs. Austin was one of the first CEOs in the nation to support Change the Equation.
Austin’s numerous other honors include the 2016 AIAA Yvonne C. Brill Lectureship in Aerospace Engineering; the 2012 Horatio Alger Award; the 2012 NDIA Peter B. Teets Industry Award; the 2010 AIAA von Braun Award for Excellence in Space Program Management; a National Reconnaissance Office Gold Medal; and the National Intelligence Medallion for Meritorious Service.
The Goddard Astronautics Award is the highest honor AIAA bestows for notable achievements in the field of astronautics. It was endowed by Mrs. Goddard to commemorate her husband, Robert H. Goddard – rocket visionary, pioneer, bold experimentalist, and superb engineer, whose early liquid rocket engine launches set the stage for the development of astronautics.
For more information on the Goddard Astronautics Award, or the AIAA Honors and Awards program, please contact Carol Stewart at 703.264.7538 or
carols@aiaa.org.
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