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Dave Reynolds, the booster manager for SLS (Space Launch System), works inside the Next Generation Booster Avionics Mockup at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Reynolds is responsible for the design, development, and flight of the boosters for the rocket that carry NASA’s Orion spacecraft and astronauts to the Moon as part of the Artemis II mission.
Credits: NASA
As booster manager for NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System), Dave Reynolds’ path to NASA is embodied by his childhood poster of the space shuttle’s Return to Flight initiative, which hangs in his office, serving as a constant reminder that his journey to the agency began decades ago.
Growing up in Roy, Utah, Reynolds remembers standing outside to watch the billowing smoke rise from booster tests at Northrop Grumman’s Promontory facility. Rockets were the backdrop of his childhood, and growing up during the shuttle missions sparked his fascination for space exploration.
As the booster manager for the SLS, Dave is responsible for the design, development, and flight of the boosters—work that echoes the sense of significance that inspired him as a child to study spaceflight.
“I couldn’t quite verbalize what I felt then, but as I’ve matured over time, I now realize I want to be a part of the team sending astronauts to the Moon, and I have a personal desire to ensure the safety of those individuals,” Reynolds said.
Dave Reynolds, the booster manager for SLS (Space Launch System), works inside the Next Generation Booster Avionics Mockup at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Reynolds is responsible for the design, development, and flight of the boosters for the rocket that carry NASA’s Orion spacecraft and astronauts to the Moon as part of the Artemis II mission.
NASA
Early in his career at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, Reynolds worked on the J-2X — a liquid-cryogenic engine that was once slated as a candidate to power the SLS upper stage. In 2012, he made a jump to solid rocket motors when he became the subsystem manager for the SLS boosters office. Reynolds spent his days managing and testing motor cases, seals, igniters, and separation motors.
He was promoted to deputy manager for the SLS office where he helped oversee development of the solid rocket boosters. He also was given the task of developing and managing the evolved composite boosters that would be used for future Artemis missions.
With the launch of Artemis II on the horizon, Reynolds is thrilled to be part of the team preparing to send a crew of four astronauts around the Moon.
Deep down, I’m really excited about Artemis II. The eight-year-old me is still in there, eager to watch the smoke rising from those booster tests at a distance. He wouldn’t believe the things I’ve seen and what I’m about to see.
Dave Reynolds
Booster Manager for Space Launch System
“Deep down, I’m really excited about Artemis II. The eight-year-old me is still in there, eager to watch the smoke rising from those booster tests at a distance. He wouldn’t believe the things I’ve seen and what I’m about to see,” Reynolds said.
Reynolds witnessed moments that would have stunned his eight-year-old self. In 2022, he watched as the SLS illuminated the morning sky during the launch of Artemis I. More recently, the evolved booster he helped develop performed its first full-scale test. Reynolds watched as the booster roared to life – just miles from his hometown in Utah.
Reynolds, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center’s Vehicle Assembly Building in front of the SLS rocket that powered the Artemis I mission. Through Artemis, NASA will send astronauts to explore the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and build the foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars.
NASA
From his driveway to the test site, Reynolds’ curiosity grew into a career shaped by purpose, responsibility, and respect for the work ahead. The poster hanging on Reynolds’ wall isn’t just a souvenir from the past – it’s a reminder of where his interest took root and how far that curiosity has carried him.
As the team moves closer to the launch of Artemis II which will take astronauts around the Moon, Reynolds feels a familiar sense of exhilaration. The questions that once drew him toward space are still guiding him today, except this time he is one of the individuals helping to shape the answers.
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