Purdue AAE alumnus Mike Moses (MSAAE ’95) is the new president of Virgin Galactic. Moses joined the company in 2011 as vice president of operations. Prior to that he worked for NASA, serving as a flight controller, flight director, and the shuttle launch integration manager.

Virgin Galactic made the announcement October 13^th at the International Symposium for Personal and Commercial Spaceflight (ISPCS) in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Speaking at the event, Moses said, “I’ve been very fortunate in my career to play a part in safely sending many NASA astronauts to space. At Virgin Galactic, with our great vehicles and our fantastic team, I know we’ll get the chance to send not just tens but hundreds of thousands of people into space.”

Virgin Galactic’s vehicles include the reusable SpaceShipTwo and its air launch carrier vehicle WhiteKnightTwo.

In addition to his AAE degree from Purdue, Moses earned a bachelor’s degree in physics from Purdue in 1989. He received the Outstanding Aerospace Engineer Award from the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics in 2011 and the Distinguished Science Alumni Award from the College of Science in 2016.  Moses is also a two-time recipient of the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal, as well as other NASA commendations and awards.

Moses’ wife, Beth (Stubbings) Moses, is also a Purdue AAE alum, earning her bachelor’s degree in 1992 and her master’s degree in 1994. Her career started at NASA as well, where she served as the assembly manager for the International Space Station from initial design through final on-orbit construction. She is now the Chief Astronaut Trainer for Virgin Galactic, in charge of designing and building the training program, equipment, and facilities to prepare future astronauts for spaceflight on Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo.