Meet Brittany Woytko, A Technical Leader Influencing Missions and People

What does it take for spacecraft to survive in space? Stringent environmental testing and simulation performed by experts like Brittany Woytko long before launch. As a Materials Process Engineer and manager of SDL’s Thermal Vacuum Service Center (TVSC), Brittany applies technical expertise and people-focused leadership to support critical space missions and the people who make them possible.

Engineering Tests
All SDL-developed flight hardware requires environmental testing, placing Brittany and her expertise at the intersection of engineering disciplines and mission development phases. The TVSC includes a variety of thermal vacuum (TVAC) chambers designed to test individual spacecraft components, subsystems, and integrated flight hardware. When a program’s test requirement exceeds a chamber’s standard configuration, Brittany and her team engineer a solution. “Even if the chamber may not be able to do it, there is a way,” says Brittany, “by integrating specialized cooling, heating, flow, and other systems.”

Building Capability That Builds Missions
In her 17 years at SDL, Brittany has influenced a variety of roles and missions. She first began in contamination control as a chemist, working in a small group where “everyone did everything.” This enabled her to build her expertise not only in contamination control but also in cleanroom operations and TVAC testing. TVAC testing soon became her preferred focus, because it offered what she calls “creative consistency.” She enjoys problem-solving the juxtaposition of unique hardware testing requirements with baseline chamber capabilities.

As SDL’s TVSC expanded, so did Brittany’s technical leadership. She helped grow the TVAC infrastructure to its now 28 chambers and fortified the depth of testing expertise to a team of 23, including a technical lead, engineers, technicians, students, software, and business support professionals. Together, the team supports increasingly complex and unique space hardware simulation tests.

Brittany’s most significant contribution to SDL’s infrastructure was leading the development of nine new chambers, including a 24-foot thermal vacuum chamber named Thiassi and its smaller twin, Freya. Thiassi and Freya are two of the largest aerospace thermal vacuum chambers in the country’s intermountain region. This infrastructure enables SDL to test ESPA-class and larger spacecraft for more complex and advanced aerospace programs.

Leading Experts & Making Room to Learn
As a leader, Brittany recognizes that “confidence grows through trust, meaningful responsibility, and a willingness to invest in people.” Thermal vacuum testing is demanding work, often requiring nights and weekends for long tests. Knowing that everyone “works because they have lives,” Brittany actively supports her team’s personal and educational endeavors, noting that technical excellence comes from treating people like human beings rather than resources. “Brittany cares about us, and I appreciate that in a leader,” remarked TVSC engineering assistant Celeste Paxman.

Brittany’s care extends to career advancement opportunities for her team. She established TVAC chamber experts at SDL and gave them ownership of and responsibility for specific chambers. Chamber experts are strategically embedded in space programs as the leading authority on the chambers and the simulations required to validate a customer’s spacecraft. “Brittany gives us space to work through problems and issues, but she will always step in to teach the basics or talk through a process if needed,” said chamber expert Alex Kirkman.

A chamber expert’s ownership also comes with permission to make mistakes. Brittany trusts that engineers grow by asking questions and experimenting without fear. Leading by example, she keeps a “lessons learned” shelf that showcases a collection of things she has broken. These lessons, hers and her team’s, have shaped SDL’s thermal vacuum processes and best practices, helping to reduce flight risks for customers.

Mentoring the Next Generation
As a woman in STEM, Brittany has experienced being the only woman expert in a technical room. She remembers questioning if she belonged there or if she should speak up. Instead of letting these experiences discourage her, she used them as opportunities to strengthen her competence and authority in the workplace. Her personal mission is to help young girls, students, and early-career women understand that “leadership and technical excellence are not defined by gender but by curiosity, resilience, and authenticity.”

With this mission in mind, Brittany supports a local Girl Scout troop and coordinates occasional Feminist Friday lunches. Her favorite part of leading young girls is creating moments of STEM awe and watching their eyes light up with curiosity. Feminist Friday lunches provide a space where student and early-career women gather to support one another and discuss workplace confidence and how to communicate directly, ask questions, and advocate for their ideas.

Leaving Everything Stronger
When the stakes are high, and they typically are when testing spacecraft hardware, Brittany responds. Her reputation and work ethic as a technical leader recently led to her nomination and selection as a 2026 Women Tech Council Award Honoree for contributing to Utah’s economic growth, driving innovation, and leading and mentoring others.

“Being a Women Tech honoree was a great honor,” she recalled, “I am proud of it and happy for the recognition.” At the event, Brittany was surprised to receive an additional Distinguished Technology Innovator award for her ability to “anticipate failures, test the limits of what’s possible, and make difficult decisions when years of work may depend on what happens next.”

Brittany understands that her work advances national security and scientific exploration, benefiting humankind. Her example of building technical excellence and prioritizing people helps SDL deliver mission success for its customers and strengthens the teams behind that success.

Written by Jennifer Perkins