Hans Koenigsmann joined the SpaceX team as the 4th technical member in 2002 and developed the avionics, guidance and control, and software departments as Vice President of Avionics.
He designed the avionics system of Falcon 1 and supported the early launches as Launch Chief Engineer. He moved into this operational role for Falcon 9 and Dragon, and became the Vice President of Flight Reliability (formerly mission assurance). Being responsible
to flight risk and safety, he and his team also resolved critical anomalies. With the addition of build reliability, he was also responsible for production quality.
He and his team supported more than 100 launches with thorough reviews prior, and flight data reviews post flight. Feeding back the lessons learned, preventing mission failures and improving both production and operation is the top priority for him.
Hans retired from SpaceX in late 2021 after more than 19 years.
He holds a master’s degree from the Technical University of Berlin and a PhD from the University of Bremen in Germany. He serves on the supervisory boards of OHB, board of directors of Stoke Space and AstroForge, and he advises Vast Space.
© Blue OriginHans Koenigsmann
Aerospace Engineer & early SpaceX Manager