Region 7

Melanie L. Weber
The Boeing Company

Melanie L. Weber is the CST-100 Starliner subsystem lead for Crew and Cargo Accommodations, and Boeing’s lead for the Launch Pad Team. She is responsible for the design of hardware to support integration of crew and cargo into the Starliner spacecraft, and for developing Ground Operation Launch Procedures at Space Launch Complex-41 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. In December of 2019, she became the first woman — and the first Hispanic — to lead a Launch Pad Team on the day of launch of a spacecraft in the history of human spaceflight.

Prior to working on the Starliner, Melanie served on Boeing's on-orbit configuration and installation team supporting the International Space Station. Before joining Boeing, she was a structural designer on the F-22 Raptor for Lockheed Martin Aeronautics.

As a Hispanic female who was the first in her family to earn an engineering degree, Melanie takes an active role in the community to encourage students and adults to pursue fields related to STEM. She also is extremely passionate about telling the human space exploration story. She was featured in an episode of the Science Channel’s “Impossible Engineering” describing the landing airbag system for Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, and was part of the team that unveiled Boeing’s brand new spacesuit on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.”

Melanie earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Texas. She was granted a patent for the design of the Crew Seat for the CST-100 Starliner in 2019 and has co-authored several published technical papers for the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

An avid animal lover, Melanie supports various rescue groups, and enjoys spending time at home with her cats and guinea pigs. She is also into fashion and design, and gets to experiment with her artistic talents while creating different elements of the Starliner’s interior.