Victoria E. Baca

Victoria E. Baca serves as a key procurement lead within the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Rocket Propulsion Division (FA9453), supporting the development and acquisition of advanced space and aerospace technologies. She manages complex research and development contracts focused on next-generation propulsion systems, resilient space computing architectures, and high-performance instrumentation critical to U.S. space domain awareness and autonomous satellite operations. Her work directly enables the division’s mission to accelerate innovation through foundational science and rapid prototyping, ensuring the Department of the Air Force maintains technological superiority in contested space environments. Baca typically handles non-commercial, cost-reimbursement and firm-fixed-price contracts under the authority of FAR Part 35 and DFARS Subpart 235, prioritizing technical feasibility, schedule agility, and mission-critical performance. Baca collaborates with a diverse ecosystem of defense contractors, academic research institutions, and specialized engineering firms engaged in rocket propulsion, space systems integration, and advanced materials development. While no single contractor dominates her portfolio, she consistently engages with firms possessing deep expertise in hypersonics, electric propulsion, and space-qualified electronics. Her contracting approach emphasizes long-term technical partnerships over transactional vendor relationships, fostering collaboration between government scientists and industry innovators to solve high-risk, high-reward challenges in space technology. Baca’s procurement patterns reflect a strong preference for open competition, with 100% of her acquisitions designated as non-set-aside. This indicates a focus on technical merit and capability over socioeconomic preferences, aligning with the mission-critical nature of her portfolio where performance and innovation take precedence over small business set-asides. While she does not routinely utilize 8(a), HUBZone, or SDVOSB programs, her contracting decisions remain fully compliant with all federal socioeconomic requirements. Her primary procurement focus is on NAICS 541712—Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences—reflecting her specialization in cutting-edge aerospace R&D. She procures services including propulsion system design, computational fluid dynamics modeling, radiation-hardened electronics, and autonomous guidance algorithms, supporting the development of next-generation space platforms for national security applications.