Lieutenant Colonel Rachel Kolesnikov-lindsey

Lieutenant Colonel Rachel Kolesnikov-lindsey

Job Title
Chief of European and African Space Acquisition Partnerships for Space Systems Command (SSC) International Affairs
Organization
United States Space Force
Lt Col Rachel Kolesnikov-Lindsey is active-duty Air Force and serves as the Chief of European and African Space Acquisition Partnerships for Space Systems Command (SSC) International Affairs, United States Space Force. As the sole member of SSC operating out of Ramstein Air Base, she is fully integrated with EUCOM, AFRICOM, SPACEFOREUR-AF, and USAFE-AFAFRICA to execute current space partnerships and identify future opportunities.

Following an ROTC commission from MIT in June 2009, Lt Col K-L received an educational delay to complete a master’s degree at MIT before entering active duty. She was assigned to the Materiel Directorate of AFRL with a focus on bio and nano materials as well as prototyping how to forcibly take down light aircraft without killing the pilot as part of the AFRL Commander’s Challenge. Rachel was then selected for the Engineer and Scientist Exchange Program, where she imbedded with the Spanish National Aerospace Technology Labs to finalize composite material design for future remotely piloted aircraft.

Lt Col K-L then joined the Launch Enterprise Systems Directorate at the Space and Missile Systems Center at Los Angeles Air Force Base, where she was Chief of Propulsion Systems for the Atlas V Rocket, precisely delivering over $5 billion of DoD National Security Space satellites to orbit before serving as executive officer for her 640 person wing. Prior to her current position, Lt Col K-L joined the Defense Innovation Unit where she led Small Responsive Launch efforts to enable emerging commercial rocket companies to work with the Department of Defense for the first time as well as serving in a leadership position as the Director of Organizational Development.