Background
Jasmin Moghbeli is an accomplished astronaut and pilot: her exceptional career has earned her several awards and honors, including four Air Medals, a Meritorious Service Medal, two Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals, three Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals, as well as recognition from the U.S. Navy Test Pilot School for her outstanding achievements. NASA selected her in 2017 and reported for duty in August of that year. Furthermore, she brings diversity into NASA because she is a woman in STEM and comes from a diverse cultural background: “I stand here so proud of my Persian heritage but also incredibly proud to be an American.”. Moghbeli has an impressive educational background, including a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering with information technology from MIT and a master’s degree in aerospace engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School. She also graduated from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School. Overall, she is an inspiration to many, reminding society about women having success in aerospace engineering and more.
Experience in Aviation
Jasmin Moghbeli’s military career began in 2005 when she became a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps after completing her undergraduate degree. She went through flight training, earning her wings as a Naval Aviator in 2008. Moghbeli specialized in flying AH-1W Super Cobra helicopters and started her operational flying career with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 367. She deployed to Afghanistan in 2009 and 2010 and completed subsequent deployments in support of Marine Expeditionary Units.
After her final deployment, Moghbeli attended the United States Naval Test Pilot School in Maryland and joined Class 144. In 2014, she embarked on a developmental test tour with Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 31, working on various aircraft and systems, including the AH-1Z and UH-1Y helicopters. She pursued her master’s degree during this time.
In 2015, Moghbeli joined Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadrons 22 and 1, becoming a plank holder for the latter. At the time of her selection as an astronaut candidate in June 2017, she was involved in testing H-1 helicopters and served as the quality assurance and avionics officer for VMX-1. Over her career, she amassed more than 150 combat missions and 2,000 flight hours in a diverse range of aircraft.
Journey to Space
In August 2017, Jasmin Moghbeli began her role as an Astronaut Candidate and underwent two years of intensive training. During this period, she took on technical responsibilities in the exploration office, with a primary focus on contributing to the development of the Human Landing System.
Moghbeli achieved a significant milestone when she assumed the role of Commander for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 mission. On August 26, 2023, she and her crew launched to the International Space Station using a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft, successfully docking at the station on August 27, 2023.
Moghbeli’s journey in space still continues: on October 30, 2023, Jasmin Moghbeli will conduct her first spacewalk with Loral O’Hara, which will be the 89th U.S. spacewalk. The spacewalk aims to complete maintenance tasks, including removing an electronics box from a communications antenna and replacing a trundle bearing assembly on a solar alpha rotary joint, allowing the station’s solar arrays to track the Sun.