Physicist makes space for space careers

A tearful day in Alabama cemented Laura Forczyk’s career aspirations. When she was in 7th grade, Forczyk attended a weeklong Space Camp for astronomy enthusiasts in Huntsville, where she completed mock missions and practiced serving as a “payload specialist” for the storied program.

The camp also left her with a sense of clarity about her future. As the 14-year-old waited for her flight home, she found herself in tears. “That was my place. That was my people,” she recalls. From then on, “I wanted not just a career in astrophysics, but also in the space industry as a whole — and I didn’t even know [then] it was called the space industry,” she says.

Forczyk delivered on that mission. Today, she runs several businesses, all of which aim to make the space industry accessible to everyone. Her consultancy, Astralytical, which she launched nine years ago, helps established companies like Blue Origin, young startups, government entities, and nonprofits design and implement strategies for success in the space sector. Projects include a mission review for NASA and market research, product development, and strategic planning for companies looking to advance into this arena.

For many of her clients, Forczyk gathers and scrutinizes data on industry challenges, like delayed orbital launches, and then identifies logistical and policy-based solutions. “We do space policy analysis,” she says. For example, “what are the policies in place to alleviate some of the congestion out of [Cape Canaveral], or [increase] launch availability of other spaceports around the country?”

Forczyk also serves as a space career coach for lawyers, scientists, engineers, and beyond. “My goal is to help individuals … who have that passion for space realize they can work in space no matter their background, no matter who they are, by applying their own talents to whatever the job is,” she says. “All kinds of people can work in space, and I help them figure out how.”

Her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in astrophysics come in handy. “When I was a student, I was told that a physics degree is a fantastic foundation for any career, and I took that to heart,” she recalls. “I realized that I could learn very difficult things … In graduate school, when I passed [the physics comprehensive exam], I had the confidence that I could do anything.”

After completing several internships with NASA as a student, Forczyk researched the commercial space industry as a lead analyst for NewSpace Global and served as the president of the Florida Space Development Council. Both experiences helped her understand the economic and workforce development needs of the space sector. She then worked at what’s now the International Space Station’s National Laboratory in Melbourne, Florida, where she supported more than 50 microgravity research experiments in space and assessed the scientific merit of ISS utilization proposals.

It was after a stint at Swiss Space Systems, where she managed operations at Kennedy Space Center, that Forczyk realized she could offer more to space companies and professionals if she struck out on her own. “I felt like my physics background enabled me to go pursue any career that I wanted,” she says. In 2016, she launched Astralytical.

Much of her work centers on market analysis and data-driven insights. “It's using my physics skills to think critically and also to be able to give these companies real technical feedback on their ideas, their products, and their market fit,” she says.

Forczyk is also an avid science communicator. She is active on social media, and as an expert in the space business, she is frequently quoted in international media, including The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, NBC News, Vox, and National Geographic.

And for physicists considering a career in space? No need to cry about it. “If you are still alive,” she says, “it is not too late for you to go pursue any direction of career that you wish.”