Randy Kendall is vice president of Launch, Missiles, and Mobility (LMM) in the Defense Systems Group at The Aerospace Corporation. He assumed this position on October 1, 2023. Kendall is responsible for all corporate support to Space Systems Command’s Assured Access to Space (AATS) mission area, the Missile Defense Agency, and the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center. He also leads support to space launch activities for NASA’s Launch Services Program and Space Launch System and provides advisory services to the Federal Aviation Administration Office of Commercial Space Transportation (FAA/AST), as well as other commercial and international launch systems.
Prior to holding this position, Kendall was vice president of Launch and Architecture Operations (LAO) at Aerospace where he was responsible for leading Aerospace’s support to the Space Systems Command Space Systems Integration Office and to the AATS mission area. Before that, Kendall was vice president of Civil and Commercial Operations, directing all civil and commercial business at Aerospace; he was responsible for contracts valued at over $80 million annually.
Previously, Kendall was general manager of the Launch Systems Division. His responsibilities included leading Aerospace systems engineering support to the NSSL (formerly Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle, or EELV) programs, as well as managing Space Launch Operations’ support to NASA, the FAA, and other commercial programs.
Kendall began his career at Aerospace in 1988 as a control systems analyst in the Engineering and Technology Group. From 1993 until 2005 he held a variety of positions in the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program, the EELV Program, and in the National Systems Group leading Aerospace’s support to the National Reconnaissance Office’s Office of Space Launch.
Prior to joining Aerospace, Kendall worked as a flight controls engineer at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center.
Education
Kendall graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Michigan. He also earned his master’s degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Michigan, and holds an MBA from California State University, Long Beach.
Affiliations
Kendall is an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, past-chair of the AIAA Space Transportation Technical Committee, and co-chair of the Space Transportation Committee of the International Astronautics Federation.
