Kirk Larsen is the leader behind some of SDL’s most vital projects, from past landmarks like NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) to the US Air Force’s active Virtual Imaging Processing Capability (VIP-C). Credit: SDL | Allison Bills
Kirk Larsen’s career at the Space Dynamics Laboratory (SDL) began as a happy accident. He worked at a grocery store while studying electrical engineering at Utah State University. A fellow employee’s father invited him to work at the Lab and he took him up on the offer. After graduating, he joined Martin Marietta and spent two and a half years working on NASA’s space shuttle program. While visiting home for the holidays, he ran into a past SDL colleague who invited him to return to SDL. Kirk accepted the invite and returned to SDL in 1988—eventually becoming one of its finest leaders.
The Evolution of a Leader
Kirk has always been a quick learner, and the Lab was a much smaller, all-hands-on-deck environment in the 80s. He had opportunities to perform thermal and mechanical engineering, machine parts, and eventually dove into systems engineering.
It didn’t take long for the Lab to recognize Kirk’s talent for leadership, and he moved into program management in the mid-90s. Out of all of Kirk’s roles, he enjoys program management the most, saying, “I am really good at seeing the overall big picture and the necessary steps to solve our customers’ problems.”
Kirk currently manages the VIP-C program for the US Air Force and oversees 25 people. The project involves integrating off-the-shelf hardware with SDL’s software, and it is deployed across the globe.
Career-Defining Program
When asked about his greatest achievement at SDL, Kirk was quick to mention serving as the Deputy Program Manager for NASA’s Wide Field Explorer (WISE) mission. A highly sensitive astronomical telescope, WISE surveyed the entire sky in four mid-infrared bands spanning from 2.6 to 26 microns. WISE cataloged hundreds of millions of astronomical objects, comprising many asteroids (several hundred of which are located near Earth), brown dwarf stars (including some of the closest stars to our Sun), and ultra-luminous infrared galaxies. During its mission, WISE mapped the entire sky twice.
Under Kirk’s leadership, SDL designed, built, tested, and calibrated the WISE instrument. Kirk served as the deputy program manager and was responsible for proposals, scheduling, costs, personnel resource issues, and reporting. He was also the launch manager for the WISE SDL team at Vandenberg Air Force Base, coordinating with NASA, JPL, and Ball Aerospace on all launch activities.
Following payload delivery, SDL provided support for instrument-spacecraft integration, pre-launch operations, and on-orbit operations throughout the mission.
SDL’s University Affiliated Research Center (UARC) Advantage
As a long-time employee who has been at SDL for over 40 years, Kirk understands the advantages of SDL’s UARC status, especially when it comes to financial stability and guaranteed pipelines. He noted that SDL’s initiation as one of the original six UARCs in 1996 has given SDL visibility, stability, and growth. SDL’s latest sponsorship by the Space Force, he stated, “Aligns well with the work SDL performs today and helps us continue to expand our expertise and growth.”
Advice for the Next Generation
With decades of experience, Kirk is a powerful mentor for many at the Lab. His advice for the next generation is: “Do the program work and you will fall into the next thing. Don’t be afraid of learning new things. There are no stupid questions. Learn all aspects of what you are managing, even if you might not be an expert on it. Get out of your comfort zone, expand your understanding, and it is okay to make mistakes along the way.”
Four Decades of Impact
When Kirk retires, he will leave behind a legacy of excellence. He played a pivotal role in many of SDL’s key programs beyond WISE and VIP-C. Some of his past successes include:
WISE: As previously mentioned, WISE mapped the entire night sky in infrared.
JMAPS: A US Navy space mission designed to perform a highly accurate, all-sky stellar astrometric and photometric survey. Kirk served as the program manager responsible for the optical design, fabrication and test, both thermally and mechanically, for four government-provided focal planes.
James Webb Telescope: The world’s premier space science observatory and the scientific successor to the Hubble Space Telescope. Serving as the thermal switch and MIRI cryostat support electronics program manager, Kirk was responsible for design, fabrication, and test for both components.
RAMOS: A joint space research initiative between the US and Russia using a two-satellite constellation to conduct simultaneous, stereo-optical imaging. Kirk served as a systems engineer. The effort was canceled in 2004 after more than a decade of joint development.
SPIRIT II: A military and scientific sounding rocket experiment designed to measure the Earth’s limb—the atmospheric halo visible from space. Kirk helped develop the optical testing for the radiometer focal plane.
