Mission Operations Director
As ICESat-2’s Mission Operations Director, James Jaranyi heads the mission once the satellite launches, overseeing the team that keeps up the health and safety of the spacecraft and the ATLAS instrument. He loves that he gets to tie together the science side of the ICESat-2 mission – working with researchers to ensure it collects the data they need – and the engineering side – keeping the satellite going strong for as long as possible. James came to Goddard in 2000 and has worked on the JPSS, Aqua, Aura and Terra missions. He enjoys sailing, and wants to visit remote places such as Svalbard, and finds connections between his hobby and job – both involve exploration, and also the Earth-orbiting satellites improve the weather forecasts he uses out on the ocean.
