Caley Burke

Caley Burke is a mission manager with NASA’s Launch Services Program (LSP) at John F. Kennedy Space Center in Florida. As the agency’s primary representative to LSP’s spacecraft customers, she guides them through the end-to-end launch services provided by LSP – from early conceptual planning through the execution of the launch campaign. She leads the Mission Integration Team across multiple organizations in the management of schedule, budget/contract performance, and technical integration of the launch service.

Experience

Burke currently serves as the LSP mission manager for NASA’s NEO (Near-Earth Object) Surveyor planetary defense mission launching in 2027; NASA’s UVEX (Ultraviolet Explorer) astrophysics mission launching in 2030; and NOAA’s GeoXO (Geostationary Extended Observation) weather forecasting mission launching in 2032.

From 2004-2025, Burke was a flight dynamics analyst for LSP, specializing in launch vehicle flight design and flight controls. She ensured the rocket’s trajectory delivered the spacecraft accurately – to the targeted orbit, at the right time, and correctly oriented – for mission success. Among her missions, she launched InSight (Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport) and the Curiosity rover to explore the surface of Mars and NOAA’s storm forecasting JPSS-2 (Joint Polar Satellite System-2) satellite alongside the rideshare LOFTID (Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator), a heat shield demonstration mission.

In 2019, she supported the return of human spaceflight from U.S. soil – helping launch astronauts aboard SpaceX and Boeing vehicles – as the Ascent Lead for Integrated Performance for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. She’s also a member of the 2010 cohort for NASA FIRST (Foundations of Influence, Relationships, Success, and Teamwork), an agencywide leadership program.

Burke began her career at NASA Kennedy in 2002 as an intern performing command and data handling testing for the International Space Station Directorate.

Awards

Burke earned NASA individual performance and group achievement awards for missions which launched from Florida, California, and the Reagan Test Site on Kwajalein Atoll. She was recognized for innovation with the LSP Venture-Class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare (VADR) Launch Services Contract team and the International Space Apps Challenge team.

Burke was honored with a NASA Silver Achievement Medal with the LSP Flight Dynamics team for qualifying Pegasus XL flight software for the launch of the NuSTAR (Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array) X-ray telescope to study black holes. In 2022, she joined Purdue’s Co-op Hall of Fame for her career mentoring of university students and graduates out in the workforce.

Education

Burke grew up in Germantown, Tennessee and graduated from Mount Notre Dame High School in Cincinnati, Ohio. She received a Bachelor of Science from Purdue University in 2005 and a Master of Science from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2010; both engineering degrees are in aeronautics and astronautics.

In summer 2018, she joined space professionals from around the world in the Netherlands for the International Space University’s Space Studies Program.

Personal

Caley enjoys going with her niece and nephew to Minnesota Twins baseball games. In 2021–2022, she took a year-long road trip to visit family and friends across the country. She hikes in the mountains whenever possible, goes to comedy shows, and joins friends out at pub trivia nights. She mentors through Big Brothers Big Sisters of America and is a proud supporter of Purdue Boilermaker athletics and the Orlando Pride soccer team.

Biography last updated December 2025