Ryschkewitsch Selected as Fellow by World’s Largest Aerospace Technical Society

Mike Ryschkewitsch, a space systems engineer and former head of the Space Exploration Sector at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, has been selected as a fellow by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA).

AIAA chooses fellows based on an individual’s notable and valuable contributions to the arts, sciences or technology in aeronautics and astronautics. Since the inception of this honor, 2,092 people have been elected as an AIAA fellow. Ryschkewitsch is one of only 28 people to be selected for the fellows class of 2025.

“We are incredibly proud of Mike for receiving this honor,” said Space Exploration Sector Head Bobby Braun. “His insight, service and dedication have been critical to advancing numerous NASA spaceflight missions. His mentorship across our community is without par. I can’t imagine a more qualified candidate for AIAA fellow.”

Ryschkewitsch’s career in aerospace spans more than 40 years, including eight years leading APL’s Space Exploration Sector, where he oversaw key elements of major missions such as the formulation of Dragonfly, implementation of Europa Clipper and Parker Solar Probe, and operations of New Horizons. Before joining APL in 2014, Ryschkewitsch served as the chief engineer at NASA headquarters in Washington, D.C., where he helped ensure the technical readiness of all agency missions, including space shuttle operations.

He also spent 25 years at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, where he served as deputy center director after leading the Applied Engineering and Technology Directorate. At Goddard, he supported and oversaw several critical missions, including the Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE), the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe, the Swift Gamma-Ray Burst Explorer (since renamed the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory), the Terra satellite and the Corrective Optics Space Telescope Axial Replacement (COSTAR) for the first Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission.

Ryschkewitsch has been involved with AIAA for almost as long as he’s been in the space field. He has presented papers, served as a panel speaker, organized sessions at various conferences, engaged in mentoring activities and nominated people for awards. He said one highlight was serving on and chairing the organizing committee for a conference on “Complex Aerospace Systems Exchange.”

A current focus is building up the next generation in the field, which he said is critical for achieving multigenerational mission objectives at APL and beyond. He attributes his own career achievements to his mentors and the smart and dedicated teams he’s worked with over the years.

“For much of the mission-oriented work, everybody has a seamless commitment to a common goal and is contributing what they know and can do,” he said. “You come out at the end and step back and say, ‘Boy, that was really hard and important, and we each had a piece necessary to achieve that success.’”

The 2025 fellows will be inducted during an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C., on April 29 and celebrated during the AIAA Awards Gala the next day. Ryschkewitsch said he is grateful to all those involved in his nomination, adding that the recognition is even more special because he learned his grandfather was named a fellow in 1936 by the Institute of Aeronautical Sciences, which merged with the American Rocket Society to form AIAA in 1963.

“It was a nice family honor because I looked up to my grandfather for many years,” Ryschkewitsch said. “He was a pioneer in his field, and to think that contributions I’ve made over the years are regarded as similar to those he made is really a nice feeling.”

With more than 30,000 individual members from 91 countries, and 100 corporate members, AIAA is the world’s largest aerospace technical society.