Kent Rominger Astronaut Orbital ATK

Kent Rominger is vice president of Strategy and Business Development for Orbital ATK’s Propulsion Systems Division. In this capacity he is responsible for supporting commercial, defense and civil space customers with innovative and affordable propulsion solutions.

Rominger has also served as vice president of Orbital ATK Test and Research Operations. His responsibilities included the overall testing of rocket motors, warheads and components, and support for research and development operations that enable advances in aerospace and military capabilities. He joined Orbital ATK in October 2006 as vice president, Advanced Programs, following distinguished careers with NASA and the U.S. Navy.

Rominger was selected as a NASA astronaut in 1992. A veteran of five space shuttle flights, including two as the mission commander, he has logged over 1,600 hours and traveled almost 27 million miles in space. He culminated his NASA career as the chief of the Astronaut Office.

Rominger was commissioned as a naval officer in 1979. During his 26-year career, he served as an F-14 Tomcat pilot with fighter squadrons VF-2 and VF-211, and as a Navy test pilot. While with VF-211, he completed a deployment to the Arabian Gulf during Operation Desert Storm. Rominger is a graduate of the Navy Fighter Weapons School (Top Gun) and the Naval Test Pilot School at Patuxent River, Maryland. He has logged more than 7,000 flying hours in 35 different types of aircraft and has completed 685 carrier landings.

A native of Del Norte, Colorado, Rominger received a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Colorado State University and a master’s degree in aeronautical engineering from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School.