Danielle Bernstein
Principal Director of Federal Programs, The Aerospace Corporation
Danielle Bernstein recently oversaw Aerospace’s support in transitioning commercial space traffic coordination from the U.S. Space Force to the Office of Space Commerce. OSC’s Traffic Coordination System for Space marks a key advancement in the nation’s space situational awareness as the commercial space sector rapidly grows.
Aerospace’s work, including developing an open architecture data repository prototype, is helping build the foundation for effective coordination today, enabling the industry, civil and defense sectors to pursue more advanced space situational awareness and traffic coordination in the future.
“To maintain global leadership in space, the enterprise is looking to leaders like Danielle Bernstein to apply deep expertise and knowledge to today’s hard technical problems,” said Jim Myers, senior vice president of the civil systems group at Aerospace. “Danielle understands the paradigms and challenges our national security and civil government ecosystems face, as well as the sensitive nature of the interplay between the U.S. government and our burgeoning, world-leading commercial space industry. Her contributions to the nation’s space mission are recognized today and will be critical to America’s future space infrastructure.”
Why Watch
Looking ahead, Bernstein and her team are focused on helping the nation’s civil space and homeland security agencies — including the FAA, OSC, State Department and U.S. Coast Guard — adapt to the evolving threat landscape in space and the rapid growth of commercial space activity.
With global competition and uncertainty rising, it’s critical to understand emerging technologies, deploy them effectively and shape a vision for sustainable operations in future regulatory, economic and diplomatic environments. Bernstein’s team is leveraging Aerospace’s technical expertise, labs and institutional knowledge, along with strategic foresight, to drive innovation and integrate space efforts across agencies, sectors and international borders.
Interest in space exploration and expanding into the space domain is accelerating and will likely continue throughout the 21st century, driving innovation and boosting the economy. The space enterprise is growing quickly as more countries enter the space arena, driven by economic potential and a thriving global commercial space industry. It’s exciting to work on programs that support today’s space activities and future ones yet to be fully imagined, Bernstein said.
“Maintaining a safe, secure, and sustainable outer space for future generations is something that Aerospace takes seriously, and I’m proud to be working with highly talented teams who are leveraging advanced technologies to make it all happen,” she said. “It is extremely fulfilling to be tackling high-stakes challenges in ways that will shape the future of space, and I am grateful for this recognition by WashingtonExec.”
Fun fact: Bernstein is a dedicated STEM mentor with a passion for adding the arts to create STEAM. She led tours at the Kennedy Center in the early 1990s, supported and judged STEM activities, volunteered with the Boy Scouts (soon to be Scouting America) for nearly 13 years, and served 10 years on the board of Arlington Montessori House, which has offered AMI-certified education in Arlington, Virginia, for decades.