Meet Sabrina Kearney, SEOPS’ new Vice President of Mission Management and Integration

At SEOPS, providing customers with absolute peace of mind during the complex journey to orbit is the top priority. Achieving that requires a team that speaks the language of both first-time satellite operators and seasoned flyers. That is why we are thrilled to welcome Sabrina Kearney to the SEOPS team as the Vice President of Mission Management and Integration. 

Sabrina brings a wealth of technical expertise and a passion for driving industry change. With nearly 20 years of hands-on experience spanning ground system integration, end-to-end testing, launch integration, and on-orbit analysis, Sabrina is well-equipped to guide our customers through every milestone of their launch campaigns.

Sabrina’s journey in the space industry began with an internship at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, laying the groundwork for a robust career that includes pivotal roles at Orbital Sciences Corporation and Airbus US. Over the past nine years, Sabrina has specialized in the intricate world of mission management and payload integration—a role that requires equal parts technical precision and proactive logistics management.

A lifelong learner, Sabrina is also currently finishing a Master’s degree in Space Systems Engineering from Johns Hopkins University, constantly refining the advanced systems methodologies she brings to the SEOPS mission manifest.

For Sabrina, successful mission management is built on setting a strong foundation early. She knows that clear communication is the ultimate tool to prevent delays.

“Managing customer expectations and establishing a consistent, transparent line of communication is everything,” Sabrina notes. “Whether a customer is an industry veteran or launching their very first payload, our job at SEOPS is to provide a true turnkey service that navigates the technical and regulatory hurdles for them.”

To ensure flawless execution, Sabrina utilizes advanced risk-mitigation strategies, including fault decision trees to identify potential ripple effects in the integration process long before a payload ever reaches the launch pad. This proactive approach reinforces the core SEOPS value proposition: steering customers in the right direction and delivering a seamless, stress-free launch experience. She reflects on why being proactive and a consummate communicator is critical to in mission management: “ I can remember arriving to a payload processing facility for a launch campaign, with an allotted window of time to integrate a large spacecraft, only to learn that there had been a miscommunication about the layout of the floorplan and unloading space. As a result, it required  extra time to unload the spacecraft and a shortened time to integrate.” These are the experiences that she can use to make sure the process is smooth for customers. 

A favorite professional milestone:  Sabrina points back to the 2018 ICESat-2 mission at Vandenberg Space Force Base. It marked the first time she was able to personally attend a live launch and monitor real-time telemetry from countdown through liftoff . Overcoming the intense integration and testing hurdles to see the spacecraft successfully fly remains a standout reminder of why she fell in love with aerospace.

Looking forward, Sabrina is excited to see how the industry is rapidly shifting away from massive, legacy satellite platforms toward agile, cost-effective small satellites and CubeSats. Equipped with rapidly evolving sensor technology, these smaller platforms are redefining what is possible in orbit—and they align perfectly with the specialized, flexible launch services SEOPS provides.

Sabrina was drawn to SEOPS by the company’s bold, startup-driven ambition to reshape the commercial launch landscape. Instead of simply buying individual, restrictive launch slots, SEOPS acts as a primary integrator, acquiring rocket capacity to give customers unprecedented flexibility.

We are proud to have Sabrina on board to help our customers cross the finish line!