Aerospace engineer Aisha Bowe is taking her business to new heights. She has secured a major contract with the U.S. government.
Bowe is a Bahamian-American former NASA rocket scientist and founder and CEO of STEMBoard. The company helps government and private-sector clients with technology needs. The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) announced it has awarded a $947 million contract to Exacta Solutions, which is a joint venture with STEMBoards.
A statement on the contract, explained that the grant will be used to “provide support to NGA’s total lifecycle acquisition management, strategic financial management and strategic business management activities.”
Making Space History
Bowe made history back in 2022. She revealed she would be the first Black woman to travel with Jeff Bezos through his Blue Origins commercial spacecraft company. The 2024 trip will make her just the sixth Black woman in history to travel to space.
“As the first Black woman confirmed to fly with BLUE ORIGIN on #NewShepard, I am expected to be the sixth Black woman to cross the Kármán line – the internationally recognized boundary of space!” she wrote in a LinkedIn post celebrating her space trip.
There are only four other Black women who carry that distinction.
“NASA astronauts Stephanie Wilson, Joan Higginbotham, Jessica Watkins and Dr. Sian Proctor of the SpaceX Inspiration4 Mission,” Bowe continued in her post. “I am honored to follow the footsteps of these incredible woman. I can’t wait to fly on a future flight of BLUE ORIGIN’s #NewShepard.”
Other Ventures
Bowe is a celebrated philanthropist who regularly supports organizations and causes focused on STEM programs. The documentary, “In Her Element,” also explored her story. Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine production company released the documentary.
Along with STEMBoard, Bowe also founded LINGO, which is a coding kit that helps students learn how to code at home.
During her time at NASA, Bowe worked as an aerospace engineer at the Ames Research Center. There she focused on miniaturized satellites and aircraft trajectory optimization.
In an interview with the State Department, Bowe stressed the importance of diversity in technology.
“I want to abandon the idea that engineers look a certain way and that people in certain fields look a certain way, broadly. To me, that’s the power of diversity and engineering and science and technology,” she said. “You make the end product reflect the needs of the many as opposed to the few by having diverse perspectives in the engineering and design process.”