Ballasalla, Isle of Man, 18 December, 2025 – The Space Data Association announces that Diana McKissock, Director, Space Domain Awareness Partnership and Coalition Engagement (SPACE) Office is posthumously awarded the 2025 T.S. Kelso Space Safety Award. The award was presented to Diana’s family by Space Data Association Chairman, Joe Chan at the DoD Commercial Satcom Workshop being held in Crystal City this week.
The Space Data Association presents the T.S. Kelso Award annually as a recognition of outstanding contributions to space flight safety of an individual or, if shared, multiple individuals, teams, and organisations.
Diana made a huge impact on those that worked with and alongside her, striving for transparency and data sharing in the interests of the safety of flight and sustainability of space.
Beginning her career as a Space Officer, Diana quickly became Missile Warning Crew Commander and Chief of Training. From 2005-6, she was a Liaison Officer based at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and then returned to the U.S. to become a Space Surveillance Training Instructor. After a period as a Policy Advisor to the New Zealand Defence Force, Diana returned to the U.S. and Vandenberg to take on the role of Space Situational Awareness (SSA) Sharing and Spaceflight Safety Lead at Joint Space Operations Center/18th Space Control Squadron where she led various iterations of the SSA Sharing Team, responsible for tactical execution of USSPACECOM’s SSA Sharing Program. The SSA Sharing Teams executed orbital data sharing and delivery of spaceflight safety services to the global space community, including launch support, on-orbit conjunction assessment and collision avoidance, anomaly support, end-of-life/deorbit support, and re-entry assessment. The team also managed all aspects of data publication and access to USSPACECOM's public website Space-Track.org.
Most recently, Diana became the Director at the Space Domain Awareness Partnership and Coalition Engagement (SPACE) Office. There, she led a team responsible for managing tactical execution of USSPACECOM's SSA Sharing Program across DELTA 2 squadrons, specifically 18 Space Defense Squadron (SDS) and 19 SDS. The Office supported USSPACECOM and USSF space domain awareness efforts in four main areas: spaceflight safety, data sharing, security cooperation and strategic communication.
Joe Chan, Space Data Association Chairman, commented: “Diana was an inspiration to everyone that knew and worked with her. She brought together military, civil, commercial and academic space operators from all over the world to advance space domain awareness and spaceflight safety. Her tireless dedication at 18thSpace Defense Squadron saw the introduction of new techniques to predict, detect, process and catalogue breakups, transforming the level of information available to organisations like Space Data Association. She is dearly missed, and we are honoured to present this recognition of her work and the incredible professional she was.”
The Space Data Association is an international non-profit organisation that brings together satellite operators to support the controlled, reliable and efficient sharing of data critical to the safety and integrity of the space environment. Formed in 2009, the Space Data Association aims to improve flight safety through sharing of operational data and promotion of best practices for space use. Its membership includes the world’s major satellite communications operators as well as remote sensing organisations.
To find out more about the Space Data Association’s work or to become a member, visit: https://www.space-data.org/sda/
The Space Data Association presents the T.S. Kelso Award annually as a recognition of outstanding contributions to space flight safety of an individual or, if shared, multiple individuals, teams, and organisations.
Diana made a huge impact on those that worked with and alongside her, striving for transparency and data sharing in the interests of the safety of flight and sustainability of space.
Beginning her career as a Space Officer, Diana quickly became Missile Warning Crew Commander and Chief of Training. From 2005-6, she was a Liaison Officer based at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and then returned to the U.S. to become a Space Surveillance Training Instructor. After a period as a Policy Advisor to the New Zealand Defence Force, Diana returned to the U.S. and Vandenberg to take on the role of Space Situational Awareness (SSA) Sharing and Spaceflight Safety Lead at Joint Space Operations Center/18th Space Control Squadron where she led various iterations of the SSA Sharing Team, responsible for tactical execution of USSPACECOM’s SSA Sharing Program. The SSA Sharing Teams executed orbital data sharing and delivery of spaceflight safety services to the global space community, including launch support, on-orbit conjunction assessment and collision avoidance, anomaly support, end-of-life/deorbit support, and re-entry assessment. The team also managed all aspects of data publication and access to USSPACECOM's public website Space-Track.org.
Most recently, Diana became the Director at the Space Domain Awareness Partnership and Coalition Engagement (SPACE) Office. There, she led a team responsible for managing tactical execution of USSPACECOM's SSA Sharing Program across DELTA 2 squadrons, specifically 18 Space Defense Squadron (SDS) and 19 SDS. The Office supported USSPACECOM and USSF space domain awareness efforts in four main areas: spaceflight safety, data sharing, security cooperation and strategic communication.
Joe Chan, Space Data Association Chairman, commented: “Diana was an inspiration to everyone that knew and worked with her. She brought together military, civil, commercial and academic space operators from all over the world to advance space domain awareness and spaceflight safety. Her tireless dedication at 18thSpace Defense Squadron saw the introduction of new techniques to predict, detect, process and catalogue breakups, transforming the level of information available to organisations like Space Data Association. She is dearly missed, and we are honoured to present this recognition of her work and the incredible professional she was.”
The Space Data Association is an international non-profit organisation that brings together satellite operators to support the controlled, reliable and efficient sharing of data critical to the safety and integrity of the space environment. Formed in 2009, the Space Data Association aims to improve flight safety through sharing of operational data and promotion of best practices for space use. Its membership includes the world’s major satellite communications operators as well as remote sensing organisations.
To find out more about the Space Data Association’s work or to become a member, visit: https://www.space-data.org/sda/
About the SDA
The Space Data Association Limited (SDA) is a non-profit international association of satellite operators that supports the controlled, reliable, and efficient sharing of data critical to the safety and integrity of the space environment. The SDA is open to all satellite operators and other participants. Its membership comprises many of the world’s major satellite communications companies, as well as key scientific, remote sensing, and environmental satellite system operators.
http://space-data.org/
Media Contact
Helen Reynolds
Radical Moves
helen.reynolds@radicalmoves.co.uk
+44 1570 429482
+44 7878 432940
The Space Data Association Limited (SDA) is a non-profit international association of satellite operators that supports the controlled, reliable, and efficient sharing of data critical to the safety and integrity of the space environment. The SDA is open to all satellite operators and other participants. Its membership comprises many of the world’s major satellite communications companies, as well as key scientific, remote sensing, and environmental satellite system operators.
http://space-data.org/
Media Contact
Helen Reynolds
Radical Moves
helen.reynolds@radicalmoves.co.uk
+44 1570 429482
+44 7878 432940