Charlie Blackwell-Thompson

Charlie Blackwell-Thompson serves as NASA’s Artemis launch director, responsible for the overall planning and management of all Artemis Launch Countdown operations. As part of the Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) Program at NASA’s John F. Kennedy Space Center in Florida, she directed the countdown and liftoff for NASA’s Artemis I mission in November 2022 and most recently led the launch operations of Artemis II on April 1, 2026, the first crewed mission to the Moon in more than 50 years.

Experience

Appointed to the position in January 2016, Blackwell-Thompson is NASA’s first female launch director. She serves as the lead for the launch planning, guiding coordination and readiness efforts across the SLS (Space Launch System), Orion, and EGS programs. In her role, she is responsible for developing launch countdown plans, operations philosophy, scrub turnaround procedures, schedules, and training frameworks that ensure mission success.

Awards

Blackwell-Thompson holds multiple patents related to launch vehicle interface standardization and command-and-control systems. Her leadership and technical achievements have been recognized with numerous awards, including the prestigious Presidential Rank Award, the Distinguished Service Medal, two-time recipient of the Rotary National Award for Space Achievement Stellar Award, several Space Flight Awareness Team Awards, the astronaut presented Silver Snoopy for her work on the Hubble Space Telescope, the NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal, and the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal.

Personal

A native of Gaffney, South Carolina, she graduated from Gaffney High School and Clemson University. She resides in Merritt Island, Florida, with her family.

Biography last updated May 2026