With over 45+ years experience in US Department of Defense, Commercial, and Government Space Missions, Roger Hunter currently serves as Program Manager for NASA Small Spacecraft Technology. In this capacity for the past several years, he and the SSTP team identify and support the development and demonstration of new technologies to expand the capabilities of small spacecraft for NASA science and exploration objectives. Previously, he served for many years as the Program Manager for the NASA Kepler Mission. The Kepler Mission’s principal scientific objective was to determine the frequency of Earth-size planets, in the habitable zone, of other stars in the Milky Way Galaxy.
While working in the commercial space industry, Roger was the Program Manager for the Boeing Corporation’s Global Positioning System Sustainment activities for the the US Air Force. Roger also had a successful career of 22 years in the US Air Force where he had assignments as a Program Manager for several national security space programs. Colonel Hunter also served as a Squadron Commander and Deputy Operations Group Commander within the US Air Force’s 50th Space Wing. Other US Air Force tours of duty included assignments with the Headquarters US Air Force, Pentagon; Headquarters US Air Force Space Command; and the US Air Force Research Laboratory. He holds academic degrees from the University of Georgia, The US Air Force Institute of Technology, and the US Air Force School of Advanced Airpower Studies.
Roger is also a graduate of the US Air Force Air Command and Staff College and the US Air Force Air War College (C). During his career he has lectured at: many US universities; the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, CA; the University of Naples Federico II in Naples, Italy; the University of Florence in Florence, Italy; Rolls Royce HQ in Derby, England; the India Institute of Technology, Guwahati India; and the Royal Aeronautical Society. Roger is also a TEDx speaker alumnus. He was the University of Georgia Commencement Speaker for the Fall 2014 Commencement. He has multiple decorations with the USAF and the Outstanding Leadership Medal with NASA. He is also the recipient of several NASA Honor Awards and NASA Ames Honor Awards for successful mission direction and team accomplishments, His personal interests include reading, travel, tennis, running (many 10Ks, two half-marathons, three marathons, and counting), as well as good wine and good memes.
