Ken Bowersox, SpaceX’s Astronaut Safety and Mission Assurance, has quit the company. Photo Credit: NASA.gov
According to a report in Space News, former shuttle astronaut Ken Bowersox, Space Exploration Technologies’ (SpaceX) Vice-President of Astronaut Safety and Mission Assurance has quit. Details as to why Bowersox left the firm have not been released.
Bowersox joined the NewSpace firm in 2009 after spending some 22 years with NASA. Bowersox flew five times into space aboard the space shuttle – where he served as both pilot and commander. He also was the commander of the Expedition 6 mission to the International Space Station (the expedition that was on-station during the Columbia accident).
Some of Bowersox’s responsibilities have been distributed to others, including Hans Koenigsmann (who handles Mission Assurance). Whereas Bowersox has first-hand experience about what is needed to “assure safety” for orbital flight, Koenigsmann’s experience is somewhat limited. Koenigsmann worked on the BREMSAT satellite and two suborbital launches.
It also should be noted that Bowersox actually left SpaceX late last year. SpaceX issued no release concerning Bowersox’s departure.
SpaceX has recently announced that the much-anticipated launch of the next of the company’s Dragon spacecraft, this one to conduct the combined Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) Demonstration 2 and Demonstration 3 flights, will be delayed by weeks.
The “Year of the Dragon” indeed.