Sam Nackman

Sam Nackman is a Principal Analysis Engineer at Orbital Operations since October 2025, bringing extensive experience in propulsion and engineering from prior positions at Stratolaunch, SpaceX, and Relativity Space. Previously, Sam served as Principal Propulsion Engineer and Staff Propulsion Analyst at Stratolaunch from February 2021 to October 2025, after holding roles as Senior Propulsion Engineer in Starship Engineering and Lead Vehicle Fluids Engineer at SpaceX and Relativity Space, respectively. Sam's career at SpaceX spanned from May 2012 to February 2021, encompassing various roles in propulsion engineering. Sam holds a Master of Science in Engineering (MSE) in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from Princeton University and a Bachelor of Engineering (BEng) in Mechanical Engineering from Vanderbilt University.