Michael Collins

Michael Collins is the mission processing branch chief for NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) Program at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, stepping into this role in December 2021. In this role, Collins leads the branch that is responsible for planning, integrating, and overseeing daily operations in support of the senior vehicle operations manager, launch director, and the landing and recovery director for Artemis missions at Kennedy.   

Experience

Prior to this, he served as the NASA operations manager for Spacecraft Offline Operations in NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) program. In this role, which he began in 2019, he was responsible for all offline activities preparing the Orion spacecraft, interim cryogenic propulsion stage, Orion stage adapter, and secondary payloads for Artemis missions.   

Collins began his career with United Space Alliance (USA) in 2004 as an electrical engineer in the launch site design engineering group during NASA’s Return to Flight campaign. In 2007, he joined NASA as a construction manager in the Operations Directorate, leading the implementation and construction of facility projects in support of the Space Shuttle Program and ground preparations for the Constellation Program.

In 2010, he transferred to the Engineering Directorate in the Shuttle Ground Structural Systems branch as a systems engineer for the crawler transporters supporting the final shuttle launch campaigns. One year later, he became the local authority project manager for Center Maintenance and Operations, managing and overseeing the efforts for design and implementation of a diverse portfolio of Kennedy projects.

While part of center operations, he became the center bridge program manager in 2012. In this position, he was charged with ensuring compliance and making sure that all bridges and culverts at Kennedy were maintained in an operationally ready status to support the transportation of oversized loads to commercial and government customers. He remained in this role until joining EGS.

Collins first joined EGS in 2015 as the deputy element project manager for the Multi-Payload Processing Facility (MPPF), where he developed and led verification and validation efforts at the facility and ensured timely integration with construction projects led by the element project manager. In 2017, he transitioned to the mobile launcher team to lead institutional support efforts for construction and the execution of verification and validation. During his time with this team, he received a group NASA Silver Achievement Medal.

Education

Collins graduated from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering in 2004. In 2007, he graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Science in industrial and systems engineering. He has been a licensed Florida Professional Engineer since 2010.

Personal

Collins was born in DeLand, Florida, and grew up in Deltona. He currently lives in Orlando with his wife and two children.

Biography last updated July 2022