Northrop Grumman is answering the call to develop and produce key defense systems to protect the U.S.
Launch Leaders
Meet the GQM-163A OP0074 Launch Console Team
By Presley Price
Pam Wesolek – Vehicle Manager and Staff Systems Engineer
Taylor Alexander – Mission Manager and Principal Systems Engineer
Kaitlyn Christensen – Telemetry Operator and Principal Electrical Engineer
Shuxian (Shu) Zheng – Guidance, Navigation & Control operator and Senior Principal Engineer
Pam Wesolek is no stranger to target launch operations. Having supported target vehicles for 25 years as a systems engineer and mission operations manager, she knows her way around the control room. However, she expected the OP0074 launch to be unique because it would be her first launch as the new vehicle manager for GQM-163A, marking a milestone in her career.
GQM-163A “Coyote” targets are launch vehicles used to test U.S. Navy and Army missile defense capabilities and provide advanced training scenarios to prepare sailors and soldiers for potential operational threats. Being part of the GQM-163A program since its initial award in 2000, Pam has seen the program grow from development to full-rate production, to supporting up to 17 launches in a single year.
“While other Northrop Grumman launches may be years in the making, our team is consistently deploying to support a variety of missions throughout the year,” Pam said. “We launch from different locations around the world, and our field teams are required to travel three to four weeks for each mission. It’s around 110 days of preparation for 90 seconds of adrenaline.”
After completing the target preliminary checks, the launch console team drank their coffee to help them stay alert in the early morning hours and waited for the customer countdown. Pam looked around the control room at her team and realized she was surrounded by an all-women launch control room team – the first for the GQM program.
