Liam J. Cheney

Liam J. Cheney is a mission manager in NASA’s Launch Services Program (LSP) at NASA’s John F. Kennedy Space Center in Florida. In this role, he manages launches for the program. A major portion of his responsibilities includes co-managing the agency’s CubeSat Launch Initiative.

Experience

Cheney began his career at Kennedy in August 2018. He worked in LSP’s Vandenberg Space Force Base Resident Office in California as a launch site integration manager supporting LSP missions launching from Vandenberg.

Before joining NASA, he worked in the commercial space industry. He supported CubeSat missions that flew as secondary payloads on a variety of government and commercial launches, including the Mars Cube One and Artemis I missions.

Education

Cheney earned a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in aerospace engineering, both in 2014, from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, where he participated in the Cal Poly CubeSat program.

Awards

He is the recipient of several awards, including a NASA Silver Group Achievement Award in 2022 for his work on the Venture Class Launch Services Demo-2 acquisition team, and an Acquisition Improvement Award in 2022 for his work on the Venture Class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare Launch Services Acquisition Team.

Personal

Cheney grew up along the coast in California and now resides in Kansas City with his wife, Catherine. They are expecting their first child in the summer of 2023.

A few of Cheney’s hobbies include astronomy, photography/astrophotography, singing, swing dancing, and playing the cello.

Biography last updated April 2023