Meet the Space Ops Team: Derrick Bailey
Since childhood, Derrick Bailey has always had an early fascination for aeronautics. The military and reaction military hunting pilots were his childhood heroes and he dreamed of joining the aerospace industry. This passion was a springboard in her 17 -year -old career at NASA, where Bailey plays an important role in the permanence of rocket launches.
Bailey is the certification manager for launch vehicles in the launch services program (LSP) within the Directorate of the Mission of Space Operations. In this role, it helps NASA describes the risk classifications of the Agency for New Rockets of emerging and established space companies.
“In my role, I formulate a series of technical assessments and processes for the technical team of NASA LSP to understand how companies work, how vehicles are designed and qualified, and how they work in flight,” said Bailey.
Beyond technical competence and preparation, a successful launch of rocket is based on the establishment of a solid fundamental relationship between NASA and the commercial companies involved. Bailey and his team guarantee effective communication with these companies to provide the advice, data and analysis necessary to support them to overcome the challenges.
“We work with diligence to establish relationships of trust with commercial companies and demonstrate the value of associating us with our team,” said Bailey.
Bailey attributes a spell that landed him at the agency. During his last year at Georgia Tech, where he was a diploma in aerospace engineering, Bailey almost passed NASA’s tent at a career show. However, he decided to grasp a NASA sticker and pay a conversation, which quickly turned into an impromptu interview. He left that day with a job offer to work on the now retired space shuttle program at Kennedy Space Center of the Agency in Florida.
“I never imagined working at NASA,” said Bailey. “With hindsight, it is incredible that a fortuitous meeting led to the security of a job that has turned into an incredible career.”
Thinking about the future, Bailey is enthusiastic about new opportunities in the commercial space industry. Bailey considers NASA as a crucial advisor and mentor for the commercial sector while using industry capabilities to provide more profitable access to space.
“We are the catalysts,” said Bailey about his role in the direction. “It is our responsibility to provide the best opportunity for future explorers to start their discovery journey in deep space and beyond.”
Apart from work, Bailey likes to spend time with his family, in particular his two sons, who occupy him with travel diamonds and homework sessions. Bailey also likes practical activities, such as working on cars, off -road vehicles and house projects – hobbies he picked up from his mechanically tilted father. In addition, at the beginning of 2025, his wife accepted a position as a program specialist at LSP, an exciting development for the whole Bailey family.
“One of my wife’s main observations at the start of my career was how much my colleagues really care about each other and allow people to make decisions,” said Bailey. “These are the things that make NASA the first place to work on the government.”
The direction of the NASA spatial operations mission maintains a continuous human presence in space for the benefit of people on earth. Management programs are the center of NASA spatial exploration efforts, allowing Artemis, commercial spaces, sciences and other agency missions by communication, launch services, research capacities and crew support.
To find out more about the direction of the mission of the NASA space operation, visit:
https://www.nasa.gov/directates/space-operations
