As the supercooled propellant flowed into the core stage, and NASAâs SLS (Space Launch System) rocket roared to life, Allison Mjoen and her family watched with awe and pride. Mjoen, NASAâs operations manager for the agencyâs Exploration Ground Systems Program, helped shape the systems and ground operations that will one day send humans back to the Moon. Over her 20-year career at NASAâs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, she supported missions across the Space Shuttle Program, the International Space Station, and now she is applying that experience to Artemis.
April 1, 2026, was a bright, crystal-clear day along the Florida Space Coast. The sunlight seemed to sharpen every color along the horizon. As Mjoen and her children counted down and the crowdâs voices rose around them, the rumble of the SLS rocket intensified beneath their feet. For her children, it was the chance to see what their mom had helped make possible. For Mjoen, it was a moment she would never forget.
That moment also offered a pause for reflection on the work that led her there. As the spacecraft offline operations manager, Mjoen coordinates the work that happens long before launch day. By supporting the ground systemsâ senior vehicle operations manager, Matt Czech, she develops integration plans and oversees ground operations for Artemis vehicle processing, focusing on booster and Orion spacecraft operations.
Mjoen began her career as a flight crew systems engineer with United Space Alliance supporting the Space Shuttle Program. Her team handled mission-specific cabin configurations, including the food, spacesuits, cargo, and payloads astronauts needed aboard the shuttle.
After the Space Shuttle Program retired, she supported the International Space Station Program as a payload integration engineer. In this role, she connected experiment investigators with the organizations developing their hardware. She later worked in the Project Office on the Test and Operations Support Contract before joining NASAâs Operations Project Engineering Office, where she served as the Spacecraft Payloads Integration and Evolution Element lead for Artemis I.
âEarly on, I thought every decision had to be perfect, but everything is an opportunity to learn, especially the tasks that seem unrelated at the time. Itâs about staying curious, working hard, building relationships, and trusting that each step is preparing you for the next one.
Allison Mjoen
Operations Manager, NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems
That preparation took on new meaning when she first supported integrated firing room operations as a certified operations project engineer during Artemis I. Earning the certification was a milestone. Applying it during real time operations brought a new level of responsibility.
âEvery decision and communication directly supported the integrated teamâs ability to execute safely and properly implement the test procedure,â said Mjoen.
Working at the integration console underscored the importance of preparation, collaboration and trust â lessons she carries into her work coordinating across teams today.
âI get to collaborate everyday with incredibly talented and dedicated people who are all working toward the same goal. Itâs especially rewarding to know that our collective efforts directly contribute to the success of the mission.â
Allison Mjoen
Operations Manager, NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems
For Mjoen, the shared experience is part of what makes Artemis so important. As the Artemis program continues, she looks forward to another moment families will be able to share as astronauts return to the lunar surface.
âThat single moment captured the imagination of people around the world and showed what is possible when we come together for a bold goal,â she said of the first Apollo Moon landing. âArtemis is creating that kind of moment for a whole new generation, and this time to stay.â
Source: NASA
