faculty

Expertise
Skilled leader in a highly coupled technical and operational environment; adept at solving complex problems.

Experience
Over the course of his career, Colonel Tim Kopra has served as a U.S. Army aviator, experimental test pilot, astronaut, and now as a business leader in venture capital. He received his commission as a second lieutenant from the United States Military Academy in 1985. Tim was assigned to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, soon after was selected as an astronaut. After completing initial Space Shuttle, International Space Station (ISS), and T-38 flight training, he coordinated and conducted testing on ISS hardware crew interfaces until assigned as an ISS crewmember to begin four years of intensive training. On July 15, 2009, he launched aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour, served as a flight engineer as part of the ISS Expedition 20 crew, and then returned to Earth aboard Space Shuttle Discovery on September 11, 2009. During the two Space Shuttle missions and tour of duty aboard ISS, Tim performed one spacewalk, executed assembly tasks with the Space Station and Japanese robotic arms, and conducted numerous science experiments. Tim was assigned as a Flight Engineer to ISS Expedition 46 and Commander for Expedition 47. He launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on December 15, 2015, serving as the copilot for the Soyuz spacecraft. While on board ISS during the 186-day mission, Tim performed two spacewalks, flew the Space Station robotic arm to capture and release cargo vehicles, and took part in over 250 experiments involving human research studies, fundamental science, and technology demonstrations. He has logged a total of 244 days in space. Tim now serves as CEO for Starlab Space, a joint venture that designs, builds, and operates a commercial space station serving space agencies, researchers, and other companies globally. He is also a member of Starlab’s board of directors where he oversees the company’s commercial space station program.

Education
MBA, Columbia University and London Business School
MSS, U.S. Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, PA
U.S. Navy Test Pilot School, Patuxent River Naval Air Station, MD
MS, Aerospace Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA
BS, U.S. Military Academy, West Point, NY 

Scholarly Work/Publications/Awards
Tim received the Empire Test Pilot School Award for the Best Developmental Test Thesis at U.S. Navy Test Pilot School. He has earned various military and NASA awards, including the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Air Medal, and NASA Distinguished Service Medal. In 2017, Tim was designated as a Fellow of the London Business School