Ashley Chaves

Ashley Chaves serves as a key procurement professional at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, supporting the agency’s mission to advance human spaceflight systems and life sciences research. She manages complex acquisitions in spacecraft propulsion and related subsystems, ensuring technical compliance with NASA’s rigorous standards for crewed mission safety and performance. Her work directly enables the development of next-generation propulsion units for lunar and deep-space exploration, aligning with JSC’s strategic priorities in guidance, control, and microgravity systems. Chaves handles full lifecycle contracting for high-stakes, mission-critical hardware, often involving advanced materials and precision engineering under strict regulatory and technical oversight. Her primary contractor relationships center on Sierra Space Corp, Aspera Biomedicines, Inc., and Single Crystal Diamond Inc., reflecting a focus on cutting-edge propulsion technologies, space-rated materials, and specialized engineering services. She maintains collaborative, long-term partnerships with vendors possessing deep domain expertise in rocket engine components, high-temperature materials, and space-qualified manufacturing processes. These relationships are built on technical rigor and performance accountability, with an emphasis on innovation and reliability for human-rated systems. Chaves does not utilize socioeconomic set-asides, with 100% of her acquisitions conducted under full and open competition. This reflects a procurement strategy prioritizing technical capability and mission readiness over socioeconomic preferences, consistent with NASA’s need for specialized, non-commoditized capabilities in human spaceflight systems. Her contracting approach ensures access to the most technically qualified suppliers, regardless of business size or certification status. Her procurement activity is exclusively focused on NAICS 336415—Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Propulsion Unit and Propulsion Unit Parts Manufacturing. She procures advanced propulsion components including thrust chambers, turbopumps, injectors, and cryogenic fuel systems, all engineered for extreme environments in crewed spacecraft and exploration vehicles. Her domain expertise lies in the integration of high-performance propulsion technologies into human spaceflight architectures, ensuring alignment with NASA’s long-term goals for sustainable lunar and Martian missions.