Copernicus Space Corporation Chief Strategy Officer John Grunsfeld Awarded Prestigious Von Braun Award for Excellence in Space Program Management
CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts – November 1, 2023: Copernicus Space Corporation (“Copernicus”) is pleased to announce that Chief Strategy Officer and Member of the Board of Directors Dr. John Grunsfeld has been recognized by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) with the awarding of the 2023 von Braun Award for Excellence in Space Management. Named after Dr. Wernher von Braun, one of the world’s most impactful rocket engineers and chief architect of the Saturn V rocket program, this AIAA award gives national recognition to an individual for outstanding contributions in the management of a significant space or space-related program or project.
Dr. Grunsfeld received this award for “exceptional leadership of America’s space science program resulting in amazing achievements exploring our Earth, our solar system, and unravelling the mysteries of the cosmos.” Dr. Grunsfeld served as NASA chief scientist from 2003 to 2004 and as Associate Administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate from 2012 to 2016. As Associate Administrator, he oversaw pivotal programs and missions in space science and exploration and managed a $7B/year program portfolio including Earth Science, Astrophysics, Planetary Science, Heliophysics, the James Webb Space Telescope, and the NOAA weather satellite program. Dr. Grunsfeld is also a member of the Astronaut Hall of Fame, having flown on five space shuttle missions including three to upgrade and service the Hubble Space Telescope. The award was presented to Dr. Grunsfeld at the AIAA ASCEND meeting October 24, 2023 in Las Vegas, NV.
At Copernicus, Dr. Grunsfeld continues to apply his leadership to space projects and space exploration. Copernicus is dedicated to advancing the exploration of our solar system via uniquely scalable and cost-effective Swarm Exploration platforms which feature distributed sensors and high performance computing onboard. These systems and Dr. Grunsfeld’s leadership will ultimately enable Copernicus’s long-term vision of sustainably and intelligently searching for signs of extant or extinct microbial life within our solar system.
About Copernicus Space Corporation
Copernicus Space Corporation (“Copernicus”) was founded by astrophysicists, technologists, and business executives to drive the Copernican revolution of space by enhancing space exploration and searching for life beyond Earth. Copernicus is advised by a team of world-class experts in astrophysics, medicine, molecular biology, robotics, space technology, and business. Copernicus advances a unique space technology platform strategy applying scalable and distributed Swarm Exploration™ systems to scientific, commercial, and national security applications. Copernicus provides scalable platforms and products for distributed space operations leveraging advanced sensors, artificial intelligence, high performance computing, and robotics.
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