Alora Mazarakis looks at plaques on wall.

With moments to the launch of the NASA Artemis II rocket, Alora Mazarakis, a standout scholar who earned her master’s degree from Embry‑Riddle Aeronautical University in 2020, demonstrated the precision and technical skill that have defined her early career.

Mazarakis led the wireless communications control room team at Kennedy Space Center during the April 1 rocket launch.

“When we enter the T-10 (minutes) countdown, it feels to me like the initial climb on a rollercoaster — adrenaline through the roof, but calm and prepared for the drop,” Mazarakis said.

That calm came through when her voice cut into the Mission Control communications feed, as systems were checked for launch readiness. Mazarakis identified a potential communications irregularity, prompting a brief but necessary hold. The issue was quickly resolved, and not long after, the NASA rocket blasted off from Launch Pad 39B, sending four astronauts through Earth’s atmosphere and toward the moon.

“When the engines ignite and we first see the ascent, it may seem hyperbolic, but it feels almost like a dream — it doesn’t feel real that we have just successfully launched the project that has enveloped every second of our lives for the past four years,” she said. “There were certainly tears shed at most consoles in the firing room.”

Mazarakis, who earned an M.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering and who is a flight communication and tracking engineer at NASA, said she had wanted to work at the space agency all her life, even as a child.

“To be able to be a part of not only Artemis I, but now Artemis II, is completely surreal to me, especially the knowledge that not only have I fulfilled my own personal dream of becoming a rocket engineer, but that history will also remember me as a lunar rocket engineer,” she said.

Mazarakis also drew attention to women's participation in Artemis. Astronaut Christina Koch, one of two mission specialists on Artemis II, recently became the first woman to orbit the moon.

“In the 60s, we went to the moon with the Apollo program. Now we’re doing it again with women,” Mazarakis said. “It’s really amazing to see how many other women have taken up the charge in spaceflight and are pushing the boundary of what we’re able to achieve in science.”

Dr. Eduardo Rojas, Mazarakis’ former professor and the chair of Embry‑Riddle’s Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department, said Mazarakis “consistently distinguished herself through her professionalism and the outstanding quality of her work” at Embry‑Riddle.

“It was an honor and a privilege to witness her expertise in action during the launch of Artemis II,” he added. “It was such a great experience to hear her voice in the live feed.”

Mazarakis said many long, hard hours were spent testing, troubleshooting and conducting launch operations to make the historic mission a success. On April 6, the four astronauts traveled farther into space than any other humans as the Orion capsule swung around the far side of the Moon.

“It is sometimes lost on us how cool it really is that we get to work on something so prolific and historic,” Mazarakis said. “When we talk about our work to family and friends, it’s amazing to see people’s faces light up with interest and amazement.”

This report has been updated with new information.

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