Aerojet Rocketdyne’s Jim Maser Earns Top Honors

LOS ANGELES, May 16, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Jim Maser, senior vice president of Aerojet Rocketdyne’s Space Business Unit, was selected as a 2023 Honorary Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and elected as a member of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE).

“I cannot think of a more deserving individual for these top honors,” said Eileen P. Drake, Aerojet Rocketdyne CEO and president. “As the leader of our space propulsion business, Jim has made enormous contributions to our company, our industry and the nation.”

An AIAA Honorary Fellow is the top honor bestowed by AIAA that recognizes recipients for their eminence in aeronautics or astronautics and it is only given to less than 1% of its membership. Being elected as a member of NAE is also one of the highest professional honors accorded in the engineering profession. NAE members have distinguished themselves in business and academic management, in technical positions, as university faculty, and as leaders in government and private engineering organizations.

Jim Maser has enjoyed a distinguished aerospace career, spanning entrepreneurial space launch, human spaceflight, as well as commercial and military jet engines. In his current position, he is responsible for critical propulsion programs supporting the nation’s defense and exploration endeavors, including the 53 elements on NASA’s Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft that were built by Aerojet Rocketdyne, and performed spectacularly during the Artemis I mission.

“I am truly honored and humbled to be recognized among my peers by these prestigious institutions,” said Maser. “I offer my sincere thanks to the AIAA and NAE for considering me, and I look forward to my induction, membership and continuing to contribute to advances in the aerospace industry.”

Maser is among three AIAA Honorary Fellows and 28 Fellows to be inducted during a May 17 ceremony, which will be followed the next day by an awards gala at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

The NAE, a branch of the National Academies, is an independent, nonprofit organization that provides engineering leadership to support the nation. Members are elected annually by a panel of peers for outstanding contributions to engineering practice, research, education and literature. Maser, along with 106 other newly elected members and 18 international members, will be formally inducted on Oct. 1 during the NAE’s annual meeting.

About Aerojet Rocketdyne: Aerojet Rocketdyne, a subsidiary of Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:AJRD), is a world-recognized aerospace and defense leader that provides propulsion systems and energetics to the space, missile defense and strategic systems, and tactical systems areas, in support of domestic and international customers. For more information, visit and . Follow Aerojet Rocketdyne and CEO Eileen Drake on Twitter at and .

Media Contacts:

Mary Engola, Aerojet Rocketdyne, 571-289-1371



Todd McConnell, Aerojet Rocketdyne, 561-882-5395