Pursuing a Dream of Working for NASA

Lindsey Waitt, who grew up in Worcester, Massachusetts, has realized her childhood ambition by joining NASA’s Artemis launch team as a test project engineer. Her role supports missions returning humans to the Moon, launching from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Waitt’s journey began in middle school when she met astronauts Michael Lopez-Alegria and Albert Sacco, Jr., during a visit to Worcester Polytechnic Institute, where she later earned a degree in mechanical engineering with a focus on aerospace. After working in defense radar systems, she pursued a master’s in Space Operations while raising a family, eventually returning to her passion for space exploration.

Waitt’s path to NASA included relocating to Florida in 2022 to work as a systems engineer and program manager at a small satellite company in Cape Canaveral. She closely followed NASA’s Artemis I launch in 2022, unaware she would soon contribute to the Artemis II mission. In 2024, she began her career at Kennedy Space Center as a contractor test project engineer, coordinating technical tests and launch activities for the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft.

Following NASA’s insourcing initiative in 2024, Waitt applied for a civil servant position and was selected to join the Artemis launch team full-time. As the only woman among 14 test project engineers, she described the team as highly collaborative and mission-driven, prioritizing safety and efficiency. Her work on Artemis II provided hands-on experience in pre- and post-launch operations, preparing her for future Artemis missions.

With Artemis III ahead, Waitt is now a NASA civil servant supporting the agency’s Moon missions. Reflecting on her journey, she emphasized the importance of perseverance and passion in achieving long-held goals. Waitt’s story underscores the agency’s commitment to diverse talent and the enduring appeal of space exploration as a unifying mission.