Space Shuttle Director Goes Commercial

Leinbach monitors the final space shuttle launch countdown on July 8, 2011 (Credits: NASA/Bill Ingalls).

NASA’s long-time space shuttle launch director, Mike Leinbach, has taken a new position as United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) head of human spaceflight operations. The move is one more sign of the ongoing shift to commercial spaceflight.

“We are fortunate to have Mike with his wealth of human spaceflight experience join the ULA team,” said George Sowers, ULA’s vice president of Business Development. “His background in leading overall space shuttle launch activities for more than a decade, executing 37 space shuttle launches, will be invaluable as we develop human spaceflight capabilities for our Atlas and Delta systems.”

Leinbach was known for his characteristic send-off to astronauts upon launch: “Good luck, Godspeed and have a little fun up there.” Leinbach described his position as director as the best job in the world short of being an astronaut. Since the final shuttle flight in July 2011, NASA human spaceflight has been stalled awaiting Space Launch System (SLS) and commercial spaceflight  developments.

ULA formed in 2006 with the goal of merging Lockheed Martin’s Atlas 5 and The Boeing Company’s Delta 4 rockets. Their rockets are now being used in development of commercial spaceflight carriers from Sierra Nevada, Blue Origin, and Boeing’s CST-100 capsule.

In the video below, Leinbach discusses the job of launch director: