PLATINUM2024

Association of Spaceflight Professionals

The next generation of spaceflight professionals.

aka Astronauts4Hire   |   St. Petersburg, FL   |  https://www.spaceflightprofessionals.org/

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Mission

ASP enables professional qualification and advancement in public and private sectors of the human spaceflight industry.

Notes from the nonprofit

Spaceflight is a dynamic industry, and ASP develops the next generation of human spaceflight professionals. We encourage you to join us on this journey.

Ruling year info

2011

President and Chief Executive Officer

Brett Bennett

Main address

7901 4th St N Suite 300

St. Petersburg, FL 33702 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

27-2360828

NTEE code info

Professional Societies, Associations (U03)

Science and Technology Research Institutes, Services N.E.C. (U99)

Employment Training (J22)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990-N.

Communication

Blog

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Microgravity industry is a burgeoning marketplace, and to support growth, industry looks for required skills in the workforce pipeline. Highly qualified individuals correspondingly look for clarity in their approach to professional development. In 2019, 34% of Canadian space companies faced difficulties in hiring. These companies have been unable to find applicants with the required skills. Maintaining productivity for these companies required that they either provide internal training or outsource work. As a result, we can expect Canadian industry to look for HQPs with verifiable skill sets specific to their value propositions. In this context, ASP addresses three core problems in its ongoing operations: 1. Lack of clarity and resources for the involvement of highly qualified talent in a dynamic, new industry. 2. Disconnection between sources of supply and demand for talent in human spaceflight. 3. Need for professional advancement avenues across areas of workforce demand.

Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

Spaceflight Professional Development

ASP provides opportunities and resources to spaceflight professionals and professionals-in-training to enable the next generation of spaceflight crews.

Population(s) Served
Young adults
Older adults
Researchers
Students

ASP provides opportunities and resources to spaceflight professionals and professionals-in-training to enable the next generation of spaceflight crews.

Population(s) Served
Older adults
Young adults
Researchers
Students

Where we work

Our results

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.

Total revenue earned to support advocacy efforts

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Academics

Related Program

Spaceflight Professional Development

Type of Metric

Input - describing resources we use

Direction of Success

Decreasing

Number of administrators and staff who plan and experience professional development activities together

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Related Program

Spaceflight Science and Engineering

Type of Metric

Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues

Direction of Success

Holding steady

Number of rallies/events/conferences/lectures held to further mission

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Related Program

Spaceflight Professional Development

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Decreasing

Number of people on the organization's email list

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Related Program

Spaceflight Professional Development

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Number of customers reporting satisfaction with program

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Related Program

Spaceflight Professional Development

Type of Metric

Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues

Direction of Success

Holding steady

Number of clients who report general satisfaction with their services

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Related Program

Spaceflight Professional Development

Type of Metric

Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues

Direction of Success

Increasing

Hours of expertise provided

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Related Program

Spaceflight Professional Development

Type of Metric

Context - describing the issue we work on

Direction of Success

Increasing

Hours of mentoring

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Related Program

Spaceflight Professional Development

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Number of participants who felt that they have been provided with a range of options for future employment

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Related Program

Spaceflight Professional Development

Type of Metric

Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues

Direction of Success

Increasing

Our Sustainable Development Goals

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

“The 2018 NASA Strategic Plan defines NASA’s vision for LEO as a self-sustaining, space-based marketplace that provides economic benefits to the nation and societal benefits to all people. The vision is one where NASA is one of many customers of privately-owned, human-tended or permanently-crewed platforms supported by U.S. crew and cargo transportation capabilities that enable a variety of activities in LEO.”
(NASA Plan for Commercial LEO Development, 2019)

Based on guidance from NASA and private operators, ASP's core focus is the development of the spaceflight industry and its professionals, and its mission is to provide opportunities and resources to spaceflight professionals and professionals-in-training to enable key milestones in human spaceflight.

To achieve this, ASP pursues the following lines of business:
1. Delivery of a variety of products and services to individual members, including professional road maps, funding facilitation, science and engineering technological development, and career services.
2. Development of an internal science and engineering portfolio for the advancement of the state-of-the-art in microgravity technology.
3. Direct partnerships with cross-segment industry operators, including private, public, and military. These relationships focus on promotional, professional certifications, operational, and scientific outcomes.

ASP is leveraging the following core strengths:
1. Talented, interdisciplinary member base
2. Highly capable team
3. Progress on core sci/eng portfolio
4. Unique industry-wide partnerships
5. Low operating costs

...to achieve the following strategic milestones:
1. Development of a full suite of products and services to support industry growth and member professional development
2. Advancement of our sci/eng portfolio to connect talent with microgravity exposure
3. Support of a growing industry through the application of talent to key milestones in human spaceflight

To enable its mission, ASP hosts a team of science and engineering professionals that administers an internal experimental microgravity portfolio and its external collaborators. This portfolio is advanced in partnership with ASP’s internal membership of students and professionals. ASP envisions the direct contribution of qualified professionals to a robust, dynamic human spaceflight industry.

Critically, ASP is able to operate between academic institutions, industry providers, and national borders. This means that ASP prefers an innovative approach compared with traditional R&D firms, relying on internal and external partnerships to collaborate on project advancement. Since ASP’s long term focus is the professional development of qualified spaceflight professionals, ASP is able to effectively advance its payloads in coordination with SMEs and both internal and external funding.

This also means that ASP is uniquely positioned to comment on a strategic approach to high-priority research in suborbital and LEO space as part of an industry transition to commercial LEO platforms. The potential delivery of science by qualified spaceflight professionals means that spaceflight entities can support hardware validation, top scientific priorities, quality academic and commercial research.

ASP is a professional and innovative brand in the aerospace industry that delivers opportunities and resources for the advancement of human mission milestones, for both individual members and industrial partners. Our audience is intelligent and forward-thinking, and we speak to them as a guide.

Due to the evolving nature of the global spaceflight industry, ASP's membership has fluctuated in recent years. However, ASP's mission remains clear, and as a result, the organization has continued to add new members and increase the robustness of its value delivery to both individuals and industry partners.

Please refer to our organizational metrics in member and partner growth for more details.

How we listen

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

done We demonstrated a willingness to learn more by reviewing resources about feedback practice.
done We shared information about our current feedback practices.
  • How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

    To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals

  • Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

    We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time

Financials

Association of Spaceflight Professionals
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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lock

Connect with nonprofit leaders

Subscribe

Build relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.

  • Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
  • Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.

Association of Spaceflight Professionals

Board of directors
as of 01/21/2024
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

Pete Freeland

Association of Spaceflight Professionals

Term: 2024 - 2023

Amnon Govrin

Microsoft

Pete Freeland

Northrop Grumman

Robert Hubbard

NASA

Aaron Persad

MIT

Troy Cole

Boeing

Maria-Vittoria Carminati

Carminati Law

Tom Hoffman

Defense Accounting Agency

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • Board orientation and education
    Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes
  • CEO oversight
    Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? No
  • Ethics and transparency
    Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes
  • Board composition
    Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes
  • Board performance
    Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No