Mike Sarafin Bio

Mike Sarafin, Mission Manager, NASA Headquarters

EXPERIENCE: Sarafin currently serves at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C., as the mission manager for Artemis III, which will land astronauts on the Moon to advance long-term human lunar exploration and scientific discovery. Before, in late 2022, Sarafin served as the mission manager for the maiden voyage of Artemis I, confirming that the agency’s deep space rocket, spacecraft, and ground systems needed for launch and recovery are ready to fly astronauts on missions to the Moon. As mission manager, Sarafin chairs the Mission Management Team (MMT) for uncrewed and human spaceflight missions involving the Artemis program — comprised of the Space Launch System rocket, Orion spacecraft, Exploration Ground Systems, Gateway, and Human Landing System programs. As the MMT chair for Artemis III, Sarafin has requirements-change authority, provides risk acceptance at the agency level and oversight of mission operations across all flight phases (launch, in space, and recovery), and is the launch decision authority — giving the final “GO” to proceed with launch. Prior to becoming mission manager, Sarafin served as one of 87 individuals who have led human spaceflight operations as a NASA flight director. In that role he accumulated a decade of experience, with overall responsibility for safety and success of assigned space shuttle, International Space Station, and Orion flight test mission operations from within mission control in Houston.
Sarafin’s experience to date totals 65 spaceflight missions, including 43 space shuttle missions; 20 station Expeditions of American, Canadian, European, Japanese, and Russian astronauts and cosmonauts; and two Orion uncrewed flight tests. Thirty-three of those missions he supported as flight director (12 space shuttle, 20 station, and two Orion), and 31 of those missions were supported as a space shuttle Guidance, Navigation, and Flight Control officer (call sign “GNC”) mission controller. As GNC, he executed launch, landing, rendezvous, and docking operations of the space shuttle with the former Russian Space Station Mir and the present-day space station. He also led flight testing of the uncrewed Orion spacecraft aboard a Delta-IV Heavy rocket, conducted assembly and repair operations of the station, servicing of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), deployment and recovery of unmanned satellites, and enabled missions dedicated to science and human research. In his current and previous roles, Sarafin represents the U.S. government and NASA’s human spaceflight programs and partnerships around the globe during mission operations. Leading up to mission execution, he serves as a senior technical leader that integrates mission requirements, mission planning, operations, and flight readiness.
Additionally, Sarafin completed a one-year rotational assignment at NASA Headquarters in 2011 as a program analyst. He also supported the Space Shuttle Columbia Accident Investigation Board and recovery effort by performing parallel vehicle recovery and flight reconstruction accident investigation activities.