August 28, 2025
Kevis Sagis joins the Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics (ASE/EM) as the new program director of the Texas Rocket Engineering Lab (TREL) and a professor of practice this fall. He has a diverse background in the aerospace industry beginning with supporting NASA’s Space Shuttle return-to-flight campaign in 1988. Most recently, he led the development of a commercial space launch system at ABL Space Systems. Sagis earned a B.S. degree in aerospace engineering at The University of Texas at Austin and was inducted into the ASE/EM Academy of Distinguished Alumni in 2023. He has also served as a member of the department’s External Advisory Committee. Learn more about his plans to move the needle forward for our students and TREL in this Q&A.
Tell us a little about your background in aerospace engineering.
I have been fortunate to have experienced a diverse range of very different opportunities during my career in aerospace. I started my career in the government sector on the Space Shuttle program. I also supported the Advanced Programs office on a wide range of space vehicle designs for NASA Johnson Space Center and Marshall Space Flight Center. I’ve been very active in the commercial aerospace sector as well; at Lockheed Martin we developed and fielded the Athena 1 and Athena 2 commercial launch vehicles designed for the nascent small satellite market. For the last 13 years, I have been actively working in NewSpace. At Virgin Orbit I architected and fielded the LauncherOne vehicle and the Cosmic Girl launch platform, at Reliable Robotics we developed remotely piloted aircraft systems, and at ABL Space Systems we developed a commercial space launch system.
Why did you decide to join ASE/EM at UT Austin?
It’s an incredible opportunity for me to deepen my relationship with UT Austin and one I couldn’t be happier about. I’m looking forward to sharing my experiences in commercial space and an entrepreneurial mindset to hopefully contribute new ways of solving challenges and growing our department.
What future do you envision for TREL and the students involved?
My short-term goals for TREL are getting Halcyon launched, establishing a more stable organizational construct, aligning TREL with other labs such as the Texas Spacecraft Lab (TSL), and beginning to operate TREL more like a company (fiscally viable, etc.). Also, I’d like to partner with the faculty members to better integrate their extensive knowledge on key challenge areas of the lab. In addition, I plan to drive towards a healthy balance between the students’ academic experience and their time in TREL to be sure we’re impedance matching during their time at UT. Lastly, I would like to start looking into grants and other opportunities to drive research in specific areas that benefit the lab, the department and the University.
What are you most looking forward to in your new role?
We’re at a pivotal time for TREL and I’m very excited about getting this bird in the air as well as seeing how my background can contribute to TREL, the ASE/EM department and the University. Launching a rocket of any size takes incredible mental and physical fortitude to cross the chasm of “good idea” to “pushing the red button” and I’m thrilled to help us get to that long-awaited milestone. I’m also looking forward to trying to shift the operations of TREL to a more commercial mindset that is self-sustaining going forward.
What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
I really enjoy traveling, learning new things and mentoring students. I also enjoy finding ways to connect people and ideas, watching good things take root and blossom into something I never anticipated.
