Colonel on Launch and Range Systems

Col. William R. Hodgkiss, USAF, was the guest speaker at the chapter's February luncheon and discussed acquiring and operating expendable launch vehicles providing 100 percent mission success. He is the director of the Launch and Range Systems Directorate, Space and Missile Systems Center, Air Force Space Command, Los Angeles Air Force Base, California. He directs the development, acquisition and sustainment of launch and range systems required to launch national satellites and conduct testing of defense systems at the Eastern and Western ranges. There are many issues involved in bringing a rocket through a successful launch, and their challenge is to make something very difficult look routine. In 2012, they achieved eight for eight. In 2013 and 2014, they will be even busier. While the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle program now includes Atlas V and Delta IV, they are in the process of certifying other boosters to assure they can launch the least risk-tolerant satellites. When it comes to launching satellites, Col. Hodgkiss consider his directorate to be "the nations insurance policy."

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