Carol Welsch

Carol P. Welsch is a retired U.S. Air Force Colonel, founder of Creative Research Consulting, LLC, and partner at Elara Nova, with over 35 years of expertise in defense and commercial space. Based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, she provides strategic insights into the local Space Force and Air Force ecosystems, helping clients navigate emerging opportunities with both defense and commercial applications. She brings a rare combination of operational credibility, technical depth, and business acumen shaped by senior roles in space acquisitions, systems engineering, and business development. Carol is especially effective with teams that need an experienced advisor who understands both government mission priorities and commercial market dynamics.

In the Air Force, Carol led a 500-person unit managing a $1.7 billion budget, delivering two satellite systems, six launches, and on-orbit operations for six research satellites. She commanded the Air Force’s most complex space launch at the time, pioneering the EELV Secondary Payload Adapter (ESPA) and demonstrating breakthrough technologies. Key roles included Commander of Space Development Group, Chief Engineer for Space Superiority Systems Wing, and Program Manager for the $6 billion joint Air Force/NOAA/NASA NPOESS weather satellite with 14 sensors.

In industry roles at Northrop Grumman (including Orbital ATK/Orbital Sciences), Carol served as Senior Director of Business Development Strategy, where she established industry’s first rideshare spacecraft product line, generating over $500 million in new sales within four years and now integral to U.S. Space Force architectures. As part of the New Space Nexus team, a non-profit, she advised 64 space startups, securing them $150 million in contracts and investments.

Carol holds a BS in Aeronautical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, MS in Aerospace Management from Embry-Riddle, MS in Strategic Studies from Air War College, and Program Managers Course completion from Defense Acquisition University. Her publications include “ESPAStar” at the 2019 International Astronautical Congress and “The Case for Commercially Hosted Space Situational Awareness Payloads” at the 2014 Maui Conference. A Senior Member of AIAA, she offers clients unparalleled access to DoD procurement, innovation, and Albuquerque’s thriving space sector.