Heather Futrell

Heather Futrell is a program executive (PE) in NASA’s Heliophysics Division (HPD), managing the HelioSwarm and SunRISE (Sun Radio Interferometer Space Experiment) missions. She steers the development and implementation of these vital missions from design to orbit, ensuring effective collaboration between individuals at NASA Headquarters and its centers around the country, at scientific institutions, and from the private sector.

Earlier at NASA, Heather navigated the MUSE (MUlti-slit Solar Explorer) team through formulation to Key Decision Point C (KDP-C), a milestone that confirms a mission is ready to begin spacecraft construction and assembly. Prior to that, she supported HPD’s operating missions and data archives, having started her career at the agency as a contractor. Before coming to NASA, Heather worked as a NOAA contractor, leading instrument operations on the Polar Operational Environmental Satellites (POES) spacecraft and supporting operations for these same instruments flown on EUMETSAT’s (European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites) Metop (Meteorological Operational Satellite Programme) satellite series. Earlier in her career, she worked at Northrop Grumman in mission operations with the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi NPP) and National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) missions.

Heather holds a Bachelor of Science degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She earned NASA’s Early Career Achievement Medal in 2021.