Carlos Garcia-Galan

Carlos Garcia-Galan is the Deputy Manager for the Gateway Program, bringing more than 27 years of experience in human spaceflight to this role. In this position, he supports the overall management and development of Gateway, a key element of NASA’s Artemis campaign that will enable sustainable lunar exploration and provide a foundation for missions to Mars.

Previously, Garcia-Galan served as the Manager of the Orion Program’s European Service Module (ESM) Integration Office at the Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio. In this role, he was responsible for the integration of the European Space Agency-developed ESM, including design activities, assembly, and testing with other modules of the Orion spacecraft.

A native of Malaga, Spain, Garcia-Galan joined the Orion Program Office in 2010 at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston, where he held various technical and management positions. His work encompassed integrated spacecraft design and performance, mission analysis, cross-program integration, and launch and flight operations support.

Prior to his involvement with Orion, Garcia-Galan was an International Space Station (ISS) flight controller, supporting multiple Space Shuttle-ISS assembly missions and increment operations from Mission Control in Houston and Korolev, Russia. Additionally, he worked for Honeywell Space Systems as a technical lead, developing vehicle health management technologies and supporting Lockheed Martin during the initial development of the Orion spacecraft.

Garcia-Galan has been recognized for his contributions to human spaceflight with numerous awards, including the Honeywell Space Systems Engineer of the Year (Houston), NASA Silver Achievement Medal, Exceptional Achievement Medal, Johnson Space Center Director’s Commendation, Orion Program Manager’s Commendation, and the prestigious Silver Snoopy Award.