Test Pilot, Top Gun, United States Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel and Space Shuttle Astronaut, Aerodyne CEO Andrew (Andy) Allen has had a distinguished and heralded career that spans more than 45 years in the aerospace industry.

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Andy logged more than 900 hours in space as a Pilot and Mission Commander for three Space Shuttle missions.

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His career literally 'spanned the globe' from a Marine Top Gun fighter pilot to three stints as a Space Shuttle Pilot and Mission Commander to his current role as Chief Executive Officer for Aerodyne Industries LLC in Cape Canaveral, FL.​

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In 2022, Andy was honored by Ernst & Young with Florida’s Entrepreneur of the Year award for the growth and success of Aerodyne Industries.

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In 2017, he was recognized by the National Space Club Florida Committee with the Space Heroes and Legends Award (formerly known as the Debus Award), Florida’s most prestigious space industry honor. 

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He has received numerous other honors during his illustrious career, including the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal, and NASA Exceptional Service Medal.

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As a former United States Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel, Marine test pilot and NASA astronaut, Andy logged more than 6,000 flight hours in more than 30 different aircraft.  Following his service with NASA and the Marine Corps, he performed in senior leadership positions at NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Johnson Space Center (JSC) and NASA Headquarters, where he proved his ability to lead organizations exceeding 4,500 personnel.

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Prior to Aerodyne, Andy spent seven years at KSC, working directly for NASA and United Space Alliance (USA).  During his tenure with USA, Andy served as Associate Program Manager for Ground Operations. Andy's organization performed Launch Operations and provided maintenance and operational support to the ground infrastructure required for space flight support.

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Andy was successful in managing change at NASA when budget cuts required a 50% reduction of the employee base (from 8,000 to approximately 4,000 in ground operations) with no significant reduction in work scope.  His team not only performed the level of work required, but also introduced new efficiencies.  As a result, overtime was reduced by more than 60 percent and there were more on-time launches than in previous years, and fewer in-flight anomalies.

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​Andy was also responsible for USA's Shuttle Return-to-Flight effort after the Columbia (STS-107) disaster in February 2003, which required the recovery, identification and subsequent modification of critical Space Shuttle components and related systems prior to the launch of Discovery (STS-114) nearly 30 months later.

 

Andy has also held several positions at Honeywell, including Vice President (VP) of Space Programs and Requirements, where he led business development for Space Exploration Programs, VP of Sales and Customer Marketing for Space Systems, where he generated $600,000,000 in space systems business, and VP of International Military Aircraft Programs, where he was responsible for over $800,000,000 in annual sales and 400 customers in over 40 countries.