Derek Hassmann

Chief of Mission Integration & Operations

A core component of Axiom’s unrivaled expertise in human spaceflight training and operations, Derek Hassmann oversees those functions at Axiom as it leads the realization of private orbital spaceflight and prepares for the launch and integration of its privately developed modules to ISS. He made substantial contributions to the assembly, activation, and operation of the International Space Station from the launch of the first ISS element in 1998 to the final Space Shuttle assembly mission in 2011.

Derek served as a NASA Flight Director for more than a decade and was responsible for leading flight control teams in the Mission Control Center during ISS operations including 16 spacewalks and five Shuttle missions. Following his flight operations career, he managed the team of engineers in NASA’s Commercial Crew Program responsible for collaborating with SpaceX in support of Crew Dragon’s development. He later served as Director of Flight Operations at Bigelow Aerospace, managing the certification, launch, and on-orbit activation of the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) on the ISS, and as Deputy Director of UTC Aerospace Systems’ One EVA program providing extra-vehicular maneuvering units and support hardware to the ISS Program.

NASA twice awarded Derek its Exceptional Service and Outstanding Leadership medals; he also received the Aviation Week Space & Technology Award and Rotary National Award for Space Achievement. He earned his B.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.