Weather intelligence for space launches
10:00 New York | 15:00 London
Weather can determine whether a launch proceeds on schedule or is delayed, sometimes by just a few minutes, sometimes by days. From lightning risk and winds aloft to upper-air conditions, every go or no-go decision depends on having confidence in the weather.
Join experts from NASA and Vaisala as they explore how high-quality weather observations help launch teams build a reliable picture of atmospheric conditions, reduce uncertainty, and make confident operational decisions.
Whether you're responsible for national weather observations, defense operations, or other weather-sensitive missions, you'll gain practical insights into building reliable weather intelligence when every decision counts.
What you'll learn
- How weather influences launch decisions from pre-launch preparations through ascent
- The challenges of maintaining a complete, real-time picture of atmospheric conditions
- How surface, upper-air and remote sensing observations work together
- Practical lessons from space launch operations that apply to other mission-critical weather applications
- How high-quality observations help reduce uncertainty and support better operational decisions
Why attend?
Space launch operations represent one of the world's most demanding weather decision-making environments. In this webinar, you'll hear directly from NASA and Vaisala experts about the observations, technologies and operational practices that support safe, confident launch decisions.
Whether your work focuses on meteorology, defense or other weather-critical operations, you'll leave with practical insights into improving observation quality, increasing confidence in weather data, and supporting better operational decisions when conditions matter most.
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Webinar speakers
Ryan Decker
Supervisor of the Natural Environments Branch at NASA
Ryan K. Decker is the Supervisor of the Natural Environments Branch at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, where he leads multidisciplinary teams in advancing the development, analysis, and integration of aerospace systems for human spaceflight. Over more than two decades, Mr. Decker has provided technical leadership for major NASA initiatives—including Space Shuttle, Space Launch System, Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle, Human Landing System and Commercial Crew Programs—specializing in natural environments engineering, launch operations, atmospheric modeling, and functional systems analysis. He has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications and contributed to the advancement of spaceflight vehicle environmental characterization, earning honors such as the NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal and the Astronauts’ Personal Achievement Award/Silver Snoopy metal. From 2016 to 2024, Ryan served on the American Meteorological Society’s Aviation, Range, and Aerospace Meteorology Committee, guiding community-wide efforts to advance atmospheric science in support of aerospace operations including being the committee Chairperson from 2022-2024. He holds a Master’s degree in Atmospheric Science from the University of Alabama in Huntsville (2001) and a Bachelor’s degree in Meteorology from Millersville University (1997).
Alex Faulconer
Business Development Manager, Vaisala
Alex Faulconer is a strategic professional with over 20 years of experience spanning defense acquisition, business development, and military operations. He specializes in understanding complex military operational environments and translating those requirements into actionable acquisition strategies that drive effective outcomes. As a combat veteran, Alex brings strong leadership, meticulous attention to detail, and draws on deep first-hand experience consistently turning complex defense requirements into practical business solutions that deliver measurable value for Vaisala and his customers.
Matti Lehmuskero
Product Line Manager, Soundings
Matti Lehmuskero is an Application Manager at Vaisala with over 14 years of experience in sounding systems and radiosondes.
He has worked in research and development projects, product management, and sales projects. Lehmuskero has a Master of Science degree in Applied Mathematics from the University of Joensuu.
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