NASA's Artemis Program | June 2023

Dr. John Hudiburg, NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation (SCAN) Mission Integration and Commitment Manager provides a description of NASA’s Artemis Program with a focus on the radio and optical space communications aspects of the missions.

Speaker:  Dr. John Hudiburg

Dr. John Hudiburg is NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation (SCAN) Mission Integration and Commitment Manager.

Since joining NASA in 1983, John has made numerous engineering and management contributions, most recently, in the SCAN’s Network Operations. The SCAN organization is responsible for the Deep Space and the Near-Space Networks, providing more than 100+ telemetry passes per day, as well as managing key development projects, which will introduce optical communications to NASA's missions.

Previously at Marshall Space Flight Center, John was the chief engineer for the X-34 experimental rocket-plane program. In this position, he had overall responsibilities for technical integration of both government and commercial engineering design and production. He also has served at NASA Headquarters as project engineer for Space Station Freedom propulsion and at Johnson Space Center on three Spacelab mission operation teams. This Spacelab mission was the first science mission to leverage high-rate (50 Mbps) relay service from the newly launched TDRS spacecraft.

In 1999, John formed a joint NASA and Air Force office at Kennedy Space Center, which assisted aerospace entrepreneurs seeking to develop America's commercial space industry.  One of his key contributions was negotiating an agreement with SpaceX for use of the idle USAF Launch Complex 40.  During this period, he was selected as a Brookings Institute Fellow for the 107th U.S. Congress and assisted with the passage of Public Law 108-7 that granted authority to the Administrator of NASA to enter into Enhanced-Use Leases of real property.

John's educational background includes a Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University, a M. Eng. in Systems Engineering from Virginia Polytechnic and State University, and a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology. His research at Vanderbilt created a unique interdisciplinary approach to technology management, joining the separate disciplines of engineering management and political science to explain the factors behind NASA’s extensive international cooperation and agreements.

Over four decades with NASA, John has received many honors and awards, including Special Service Awards for his contribution to the International Space Station and X-34 rocket-plane and Group Achievement Awards for his contribution to the highly successful Spacelab mission.

John was born in Stuart, FL, but considers Miami his hometown.  He and his wife, Jane, reside in Annapolis, Maryland.  He is the father of two sons, Carl and Eric, and two daughters, Sophie and Jackie.