Karen Dailey

Karen Dailey 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 a diverse portfolio of acquisitions focused on research and development, engineering services, and specialized aerospace instrumentation, ensuring alignment with NASA’s strategic priorities in microgravity physiology, radiation biology, and spacecraft guidance systems. Her work directly enables mission-critical capabilities for crewed exploration beyond low Earth orbit, from lunar missions to future deep-space expeditions. Dailey oversees complex contract actions requiring technical rigor and compliance with federal acquisition regulations, particularly in high-stakes scientific and engineering domains. She maintains consistent partnerships with leading aerospace and biotechnology firms, including Sierra Space Corp for advanced life support and habitat systems, Aspera Biomedicines, Inc. for space-adapted biological research tools, and Single Crystal Diamond Inc. for radiation-hardened sensor components. Her contracting approach emphasizes collaboration with specialized vendors possessing niche technical expertise, often requiring custom engineering solutions or proprietary materials development. Wright & Dalbin Architects Inc. reflects her engagement with specialized facility design services supporting human-rated research environments. Dailey’s procurement patterns show a strong preference for open competition, with 90% of awards issued without set-aside restrictions, reflecting the technical complexity and limited vendor base in her domain. However, she actively supports small business participation through 10% total small business set-asides under FAR 19.5, ensuring opportunities for qualified firms in engineering and R&D sectors. Her primary focus lies in NAICS 541715 for physical and life sciences R&D, complemented by engineering services (541330) and aerospace navigation systems manufacturing (334511). She procures advanced instrumentation, microgravity research platforms, radiation shielding technologies, and human factors engineering solutions essential for sustaining life in extreme environments. Her expertise spans the intersection of scientific innovation and mission-critical procurement, enabling NASA’s next-generation human spaceflight capabilities.