Executive Mosaic is pleased to announce Gwynne Shotwell, president and chief operating officer of SpaceX, has been inducted into the 2018 edition of the Wash100 — Executive Mosaic’s annual selection of the most influential voices in the government contracting arena — for key innovations in aerospace transport. This marks her second time receiving the award.
Last year, the U.S. Air Force announced an agreement with SpaceX to manufacture new upper-stage variants of the Raptor engine, a contract originally awarded in January 2016, by providing the company with more then $40 million for “the development of the Raptor rocket propulsion system prototype for the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle Program,” according to the Defense Department statement.
In February 2017, Shotwell said SpaceX aims to deploy Falcon 9 rockets every “two to three weeks,” with SpaceX making history by launching a reusable rocket that March, a first for space travel.
SpaceX is the sole privately-owned company to return spacecraft from a low orbit, which the company achieved in 2010. Its Dragon craft has delivered supplies to and from the International Space Station for NASA, something previously accomplished only by nation-states. The organization boasts more than $12 billion in contract wins across upwards of 100 missions.
Most recently, SpaceX launched what it touts as the most powerful rocket in the world: the Falcon Heavy. On February 6th, the Falcon Heavy launched on its maiden voyage from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center and met all four of its major objectives.
NASA has also awarded SpaceX an additional contract to span 6 spaceflights starting in 2019.
Ranking 70 in Forbes’ 2017 “Power Women” list, Shotwell first joined SpaceX in 2002 and played a crucial role in the company’s $2.6 billion award from NASA in 2008.
Executive Mosaic congratulates Gwynne Shotwell and the SpaceX team for receiving this award.
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About The Wash100
This year represents our fifth annual Wash100 award selection. The Wash100 is the premier group of private and public sector leaders selected by Executive Mosaic’s organizational and editorial leadership as the most influential leaders in the GovCon sector. These leaders demonstrate skills in leadership, innovation, reliability, achievement and vision.
