Nick Kopp serves as a Dragon flight lead in the Transportation Integration Office at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. He is currently spearheading NASA’s initiatives to prepare, launch, and bring back the agency’s 32nd SpaceX commercial resupply services mission. In this capacity, he works closely with SpaceX and collaborates with NASA’s numerous internal, external, and international partners to ensure the success of this and other cargo missions to the International Space Station.
Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Kopp describes his role at NASA as working directly with SpaceX to ensure that the Dragon cargo spacecraft meets NASA’s stringent requirements for visiting the space station. He also engages with NASA’s diverse partners who are responsible for safely transporting scientific investigations and other cargo to and from the space station. For the upcoming mission, Kopp has worked extensively with SpaceX to prepare for the return of the Dragon cargo spacecraft off the coast of California.
When explaining his job to family or friends unfamiliar with NASA, Kopp says, “I’m responsible for getting stuff to and from the International Space Station safely.” He has been with NASA for about 15 years, contributing his expertise at both the Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama and the Johnson Space Center in Texas.
Kopp offers advice to young individuals aspiring to work in the space industry or at NASA: “It takes so many different people with all kinds of different skills working together to make missions happen. I would suggest looking at NASA’s websites to find the skill or task that makes you want to learn more and then focusing your energy into that skill. Surround yourself with people with similar goals. Connect with people in the industry and ask them questions. You are in control of your destiny!”
His pathway to NASA began as a child when his grandfather showed him the Moon through a home-built telescope. Kopp pursued aerospace engineering at the University of Illinois, where he joined Students for the Exploration and Development of Space and attended a conference at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland. This led to a contractor job working directly with astronauts on the space station to conduct scientific experiments.
Among those who have inspired Kopp is NASA astronaut and Flight Director TJ Creamer. “After working with him from the ground when he was aboard the space station, I was lucky enough to spend many overnight shifts getting to know TJ Creamer. His path to NASA, servant leadership, and his general attitude, extreme competence, friendly demeanor, and genuine care for people around him continue to inspire me every day to become a great leader,” Kopp shares.
One of Kopp’s favorite NASA memories is being selected as a payload operations director on the International Space Station Payload Operations and Integration Center flight control team. His responsibilities included the minute-to-minute operations of astronauts conducting science investigations on the space station, a role he aspired to for a decade.
He emphasizes that research on the space station, although conducted off-planet, is for the benefit of people on Earth. “The time and effort spent building, maintaining, and conducting science on the International Space Station is spent by people in our community and communities around the world to further humanity’s collective understanding of the universe around us. When we understand more about science, we can be more successful,” Kopp explains.
When asked which astronaut he would like to have dinner with, Kopp mentions anyone from the Apollo 13 crew to learn how NASA’s culture influenced the outcome of that mission. Another standout memory for him is witnessing the re-entry of a Dragon cargo spacecraft during a night shift at the operations center in Huntsville, Alabama. “It was a clear night, and as the spacecraft flew overhead, we saw the ablative heat shield create a shimmering trail of fire and sparkles that stretched across the whole night sky,” he recalls.
Throughout his career at NASA, Kopp has been involved in several key projects, including serving as the International Space Station Program’s representative as flight lead for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission, troubleshooting unexpected results during science experiments, and managing and training a team of flight controllers.
Outside of work, Kopp enjoys playing board games with his wife, sailing, flying, traveling, and learning about leadership and project management theory. When asked about his preference between day and night launches, he fondly remembers the Crew-8 night launch, specifically mentioning the Falcon 9 booster’s landing. His favorite space movie is “Spaceballs,” and he prefers the NASA “meatball” logo.
The exciting research conducted aboard the International Space Station helps explore further into space while bringing benefits back to Earth. Stay updated on the latest space station science through the Station Research & Technology news page, a curated hub of digital media from Johnson and other centers. Subscribe to the weekly email newsletter for updates and follow @ISS_Research on Twitter, as well as space station accounts on Facebook and Instagram.
