Shannon Falconi

Shannon Falconi serves as a Contract Specialist within the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Rocket Propulsion Division (FA9453), where she plays a pivotal role in executing complex research and development acquisitions to advance next-generation space and aerospace technologies. Her responsibilities include managing the full lifecycle of contracts—from solicitation and evaluation to award and administration—ensuring compliance with federal regulations while accelerating innovation in resilient computing, space domain awareness, and autonomous satellite systems. Falconi specializes in high-technical-risk, rapid-prototyping procurements that support the Department of the Air Force’s strategic imperatives in space dominance and next-generation propulsion systems. Falconi collaborates with a diverse array of defense contractors, academic research institutions, and advanced technology firms specializing in aerospace engineering, instrumentation, and space systems integration. While no single contractor dominates her portfolio, her contracting patterns reflect a preference for partners with proven expertise in hypersonics, propulsion diagnostics, and high-performance computing architectures. She fosters collaborative, performance-based relationships that prioritize technical innovation, agility, and mission alignment over traditional cost-driven procurement models. Falconi’s contracting activity is entirely non-set-aside, with 100% of her awards issued under unrestricted competition. This reflects the highly specialized, classified, or national security-sensitive nature of the technologies being developed, where proprietary capabilities and advanced technical maturity outweigh socioeconomic set-aside criteria. While small business participation is not formally prioritized in her portfolio, she remains attentive to opportunities where qualified small businesses can deliver mission-critical R&D capabilities without compromising technical integrity or schedule. Her primary procurement focus lies within NAICS 541712 and 541715, encompassing foundational research in physical and engineering sciences. She regularly procures advanced propulsion systems, space-qualified sensors, autonomous guidance algorithms, and high-fidelity simulation tools. Falconi’s expertise centers on mission-critical R&D contracts requiring deep domain knowledge in rocket propulsion, space systems engineering, and experimental validation frameworks, ensuring the Air Force maintains technological superiority in the space domain.