NASA Names Jennifer Lyons as Acting Launch Services Program Manager
NASA announced on March 25, 2026 that Jennifer Lyons will assume the role of acting manager for the agency’s Launch Services Program (LSP) at Kennedy Space Center, Florida, effective April 1, 2026. The appointment follows the retirement of Albert Sierra, who concluded a 36‑year career with NASA after leading LSP since March 2024. Lyons’ selection places her in charge of NASA’s domestic commercial launch services for upcoming science and robotic exploration missions.
In her new position Lyons will direct acquisition, launch‑vehicle selection, spacecraft integration, launch processing, campaign execution and post‑launch activities for missions ranging from Earth‑observing satellites to deep‑space probes. LSP matches spacecraft with the most suitable commercial rockets, a process that has supported more than 100 successful flights across 15 different launch‑vehicle types during the program’s 25‑year history. The office also underpins NASA’s Artemis architecture by ensuring reliable transportation for lunar‑related payloads. Lyons brings nearly four decades of technical and program‑leadership experience, having served as deputy program manager since March 2024 and previously as deputy manager for the Gateway Program’s Deep Space Logistics project. She led the Fleet and Systems Management Division for over a decade, overseeing NASA insight and approval activities related to launch‑vehicle readiness, certification and mission assurance for a diverse commercial fleet. Her career includes serving as the first woman NASA convoy commander for a shuttle landing and chairing the source‑evaluation board for NASA Launch Services II, which awarded multiple contracts for high‑priority missions. Lyons holds degrees in aerospace and ocean engineering, space technology and engineering management.
Sierra’s tenure guided LSP through five primary missions and numerous venture‑class launches that provided a steady cadence of flights for weather, Earth‑observation, astrophysics, solar‑monitoring and CubeSat payloads, including rehearsal operations for NOAA’s GOES‑U satellite inside SpaceX’s Hangar X at Kennedy in June 2024. The transition to Lyons is intended to maintain the program’s record of mission success while strengthening the commercial launch market that enables NASA’s scientific and exploration objectives. Continued leadership of LSP ensures that NASA’s launch‑service capabilities remain aligned with upcoming Artemis missions and broader agency goals.
