Association of Spaceflight Professionals
The next generation of spaceflight professionals.
Learn how to support this organization
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
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
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.
Spaceflight Science and Engineering
ASP provides opportunities and resources to spaceflight professionals and professionals-in-training to enable the next generation of spaceflight crews.
Where we work
Photos
Our results
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
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
“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.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
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
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
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.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
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
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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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
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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
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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
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild 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 directorsas of 01/21/2024
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
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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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