Olivier L. de Weck

Apollo Program Professor

Professor of Astronautics and Engineering Systems

Co-director, Small Satellite Collaborative

Faculty Director, MIT-Switzerland Program

Head, Space Sector

Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets

Pronouns He/His

I was nine months old when I watched the Apollo 11 mission in 1969 and am excited for humanity to become a multi-planet species before the end of this century.

Contact Info

Office Phone

617.253.0255

Email

deweck@mit.edu

Office

33-410

Website/Lab

Lab

Social Media:

Administrative Contact

Frances M Marrone

franm@mit.edu

617.253.4885

Financial Contact

Miroslava Parsons

miravp@mit.edu

617.715.5258

Specialization and Research Interests

Systems Engineering
Technology Management
Astronautics and Space Logistics
Multidisciplinary Design Optimization
Remote Sensing
Earth Observation

Teaching Interests

16.851 Satellite Engineering
16.887 Technology Roadmapping and Development
16.888 Multidisciplinary Design Optimization
16.89 Space Mission Design
6.914 Project Engineering

Read my advising philosophy

Academic Degrees

Dipl. Ingenieur m.A., Industrial Engineering, 1993, ETH Zurich, Switzerland S.M., 1999, Aeronautics & Astronautics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Ph.D., 2001, Aerospace Systems, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Society Memberships

Fellow, INCOSE; Fellow, AIAA; AIAA Space Logistics Technical Committee (chair); Member ASEE, ASME, Sigma Xi, MIT Institute for Data, Systems, and Society, MIT System Design and Management

Positions Held at MIT

Faculty Co-Director, MIT Gordon Engineering Leadership Program
Faculty Co-Director, Undergraduate Practice Opportunities Program
Faculty Director, MIT-Switzerland Program

Positions Held outside MIT

Swiss Air Force Officer, 1987-2000; ETH Zurich, Research Assistant, 1987-1992; Swiss Aircraft & Systems Co., R&D Staff Engineer, 1992-1997; McDonnell Douglas, Swiss F/A-18 Engineering Program Manager, 1995-1997; NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Visiting Scientist, 1998; Co-founder Intelligent Action Inc., 2007; Editor-in-Chief, journal Systems Engineering 2013-2018; Senior Vice President for Technology Planning and Roadmapping, Airbus, 2016-2018

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Affiliated Labs

Featured Story

To save on weight, a detour to the moon is the best route to Mars

For a piloted mission to Mars, fueling up on the moon could streamline cargo by 68 percent.

See all stories

Awards & Honors

2021

Fellow, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)

2021

Best Path to Flight Award, NASA Big Idea Challenge

2020

Best Paper of the Year Award, Systems Engineering Journal

2018

Distinguished Service Award, International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE)

2017

Teaching with Digital Technology Award, MIT

2016

Best Paper Award at the 26th INCOSE International Symposium

2014

Best Paper, Small Satellite Conference

2012

Teaching Award, AIAA

2012

INCOSE Fellow

2011

Honorable Mention, American Publishers Award for Professional and Scholarly Excellence (PROSE Award) in Engineering & Technology