2023 Stellar Award Nominees by Affiliation
Each fall, the RNASA Foundation solicits Stellar Award nominations of space industry workers and teams deserving of special recognition. In 2023, 43 government, 82 corporate, and 7 joint government/corporate nominations were received in four categories, Early Career, Mid Career, Late Career, and Team. "Each company and organization may only nominate a select few people or teams in each category, so just being nominated is quite an achievement," noted Jennifer Devolites, the RNASA Stellar Awards Committee chairman. "The Foundation is proud to bring the outstanding work of all the nominees to the attention of a wider community."
And the nominees are:
Aerojet Rocketdyne
Michael Cabal
Stephen Herrera
Jerit A. Wendlandt
Gabriella I. Blackner
Marc Bouffard
John R. Elieson
Miriam Fedorchak
William A. Hoskins
Aerojet Rocketdyne Artemis I Propulsion and Hardware Team
Artemis I NASA & Industry Communications Team
DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) Propulsion Team
RL10C-X Manufacturing Team
ARES Corporation
Kimberly Benfield
Lt. Col. Matthew J. Budde
Clayton Sigler
Barrios Technology
Enrique Moeller
Blue Origin, LLC
Nicholas Howse
Jordan Olliges
Tyler Schott
Sarah Sheviakov
BE-4 (Blue Engine 4) Team
CACI, Inc
Angelica D. Garcia
Dr. Teems E. Lovett
Charles Stark Draper Laboratory
Paul Doyle
Collins Aerospace
David Etter
Kevin G. Hawes
Teresa M. Kulakowski
Joshua Merritt
ERC, Jacobs
Jorge Rivera
Mahmoud Sanjak
Artemis I LH2 Replenish Valve Issue Resolution Team
Project DARAC (Data Acquisition, Recording and Controls) Team
KBR
Mark G. Adams
Jeffrey A. Boxell
Joan Ibert
Jaclyn L. Kagey
Dr. Steven S. Laurie
Vincent T. Leger
Nicholas G. Makarowski
KBR US Extravehicular Activity (EVA) 80 Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Processing Team
Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) Lunar Rover Engineering Team
Leidos
Caitlin A. Eatman
Angel Montalvo
Lockheed Martin
Michael E. Begley
Damon Erb
Dr. Alison A. Nordt
Daniel J. Rueda
Callisto Technology Demonstration Team
Lockheed Martin Soft Goods Development/Burst Test Team
Lucy Solar Array Anomaly Team
Orion Program Artemis 1 Mission Team
LZ Technology
Gordon M. Andrews
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Lucy Solar Array Anomaly Team
NASA Headquarters
Lt. Col. Lindley N. Johnson
Artemis I NASA & Industry Communications Team
NASA Johnson Space Center
Dennis L. Arnold
Heather R. Bergman
William D. Dwyer
Ben D. Greene
Emma Lehnhardt
Dr. James S. McCabe
Eduardo A. Roeschel
Deneen M. Taylor
Victoriano Z. Untalan
Dr. Scott J. Wood
Crew 3 Team
Dragon 5x Reuse Certification Team
GRAVI-T Team
Orion Program Artemis 1 Mission Team
SANS Team
NASA Kennedy Space Center
Eric M. Barcon
Alec N. Jacobs
Commercial Crew Program Launch Vehicle SpaceX Falcon 9 Team
Kennedy Space Center Weather Team
NASA Marshall Space Flight Center
Josiah M. Johnson
Centaur V Integrated Fluids System Test Team
Northrop Grumman
JoElla Delheimer
Katherine T. Ludwig
Ajay Ludwig
Rob McKnight
Michael Tzimourakas
Oceaneering International, Inc.
Crew Module Uprighting System Base Tether Development and Delivery Team
Paragon Space Development Corporation
Barry Finger
Andrew Irby
Katherine Peters
Mary B. H. Stoller
SAIC
Nathaniel T. De Koninck
Michael A. Defrancis
SAIC Safety & Mission Assurance Flight Safety Office Team
SpaceX
Commercial Crew Program Launch Vehicle SpaceX Falcon 9 Team
The Aerospace Corporation
David Coan
Mars Rodwell Experiment Team
Spacesuit Glove Damage Inspection Team
The Boeing Company
Amy M. Caldwell
Robert Douglas
Audrey D. Dunegan
Israel Garza
Matthew J. Gault
Stephen D. Jayne
Christopher S. Kochling
Timothy R. North
Terri Puckett
Felipe J. Sauceda
William D. Schmidl
Craig M. Stanton
AA-14 Electrical Power System Orbital Replacement Units Test Support Equipment Team
International Space Station (ISS) O2 Generator System/Life Support Rack (OGS/LSR) Relocation Team
NASA Docking System Block 1 Development Team
U.S. Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory
Mars Rodwell Experiment Team
United Launch Alliance
John Casani
Centaur V Integrated Fluids System Test Team
United Launch Alliance (ULA) Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS) Team
United States Space Force
Lt. Col. Justin L. Beltz
Capt. Michelle C. Boivin
Lt. Nicholas A. Braga
Maj. Chad J. Brenner
Elvia Cortes
Lt. Matthew J. Crawford
Omar A. Elhams
Thomas H. Freeman
Lt. Jacob D. Henry
Rodney A. Houser
Dr. Andrew J. Metcalf
Capt. Andrew P. Nicoletti
Dr. Wellesley E. Pereira
Jose A. Rivera
Dr. Ashwani K. Sharma
1st Range Operations Squadron
Closely Spaced Objects Team
Hack-A-Sat Team
Integration Branch
Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) Service Life Extension Team
Rocket Systems Launch Program Team
Space Lasercom Team
Space Systems Command Small Launch & Targets Division
USAF Office of Scientific Research
Dr. Stacie Williams
The citations of the nominees are printed in the annual souvenir program book which is distributed at the banquet and made available online after the event.
The winners are announced at the banquet and through a post-event press release. Visit Stellar Award winners to view photos and read citations from previous years.