NASA Astronaut Candidate Rebecca “Becky” Lawler

Rebecca “Becky” Lawler 

Summary

Becky Lawler was selected by NASA to join the 2025 astronaut candidate class. She reported for duty in September 2025. Lawler formerly was a lieutenant commander in the United States Navy, logging more than 2,800 hours in more than 45 different aircraft. She earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, and is a U.S. Naval Test Pilot School graduate. She also holds master’s degrees in space systems engineering and flight test engineering from Johns Hopkins University and the National Test Pilot School, respectively. Lawler is an experienced military and civilian test pilot. She also served as a hurricane hunter with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Commissioned Officer Corps and flew as a P-3 Orion research pilot during NASA’s Operation IceBridge. At the time of selection, she was a test pilot for United Airlines.  

Personal

Lawler was born in Lewisville, Texas, but she considers Little Elm, Texas, her hometown. She is married with one child and enjoys running, painting, reading, and spending time with her family.  

Education

Lawler graduated from Little Elm High School. She attended the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, earning a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering in 2009. She attended the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, graduating as a member of class 149 in 2016. She then earned a master’s degree in space systems engineering from Johns Hopkins University in 2018. Lawler also received a graduate certificate in engineering program management from the University of Colorado, Boulder, in 2019.  

Experience

At the time of her selection, Lawler was a flight test captain, also known as a test pilot, with United Airlines, where she flew the Boeing 737 and 787 and the Airbus A320 series. In this role, she also was responsible for industry and regulatory updates for communications, surveillance, and other new and developing technologies. 

Lawler served in the U.S. Navy for 11 years as a P-3C Orion pilot. She deployed twice to the U.S. Sixth Fleet and accumulated more than 300 hours of combat flight time. She also served as a developmental test pilot and project officer with the Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 20 (VX-20). In this role, she flew the MQ-4C Triton, P-8A Poseidon, and C-38A Executive Courier. In 2019, she was selected as an aide to the Commander of Naval Air Systems Command, taught as an adjunct engineering professor at the College of Southern Maryland, and was promoted to lieutenant commander.  

The following year, she completed an interservice transfer to the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps, maintaining her rank. She served as a hurricane hunter and test pilot, flying the WP-3D Orion and DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft. During the 2020 and 2021 hurricane seasons, she flew 32 hurricane eyewall penetrations and 11 tropical storm penetrations. She also supported several other NOAA missions through 2022. 

After departing NOAA, she returned to teaching, instructing flight test students at the Empire Test Pilot School in Boscombe Down, England. She has logged more than 2,800 hours in over 45 different aircraft across the military, general, and commercial aviation domains. 

NASA Experience

Lawler reported for duty in September 2025 to complete two years of initial astronaut training. 

Before her selection as an astronaut, Lawler flew as a P-3 Orion research pilot during NASA’s Operation IceBridge in 2019 over Greenland. In 2022, she led certification and testing for several scientific instruments, serving as test director for the dual aircraft certification flight of the minisonde launcher aboard NOAA’s Gulfstream IV and NASA’s Gulfstream V aircraft. 

Awards/Honors

Department of Commerce Gold Medal (2022), National Response Deployment Medal (2022), NOAA Corps Achievement Medal (2021), Navy and Marine Commendation Medal (2020), Navy and Marine Commendation Medal (2020), Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (2015), Navy Sea Service Deployment Medal (2014), Navy and Marine Corps Achievement (2013), Navy Sea Service Deployment Medal for multiple campaigns (2012), Global War on Terrorism Service Medal (2014), U.S. Naval Academy Leadership Excellence Award for Plebe Summer Detail (2008) 

Organizations

Society of Experimental Test Pilots