Charles J. Precourt
Vice President & General Manager, Propulsion Systems
Orbital ATK
Charlie Precourt is the vice president and general manager of Propulsion Systems for Orbital ATK’s Flight Systems Group. He is responsible for key programs including the solid rocket booster for NASA’s Space Launch System, Trident II (D-5) and Minuteman III strategic missile product lines, the Groundbased Midcourse Defense program and commercial rocket motors and products.
Precourt joined Orbital ATK in March 2005 as vice president, Strategy and Business Development, and was responsible for business market analysis, developing new customer and market opportunities and matching Orbital ATK’s capabilities and synergies to customer requirements.
Before coming to Orbital ATK, Precourt had a distinguished 15-year career with NASA. Qualified as a space shuttle astronaut in 1991, he is a veteran of four space flights—including two as mission commander—and has logged more than 932 hours in space. In addition to his duties as an astronaut, Precourt also held several management and technical positions with NASA, including deputy program manager for the International Space Station, chief of the Astronaut Corps and director of operations for NASA at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training
Center in Star City, Russia.
Precourt also served for 23 years with the U.S. Air Force, retiring as a Colonel in March 2000. He is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base and flew as a test pilot on the F-15E development program. Precourt was an F-15 pilot/instructor/flight commander in Europe and an instructor pilot at both Reese and Edwards Air Force Bases.
A native of Hudson, Massachusetts, Precourt received a bachelor’s degree in aeronautical engineering from the U.S. Air Force Academy, a master’s degree in engineering management from Golden State University and a master’s in national security affairs and strategic studies from the U.S. Naval War College. He also attended the French Air Force Academy in 1976 as part of an exchange program. He is fluent in both Russian and French.