Public engineering firm profile
Huntsville, AL
Providing Safe Solutions.
Established in 1990 and based in Huntsville, Alabama, A-P-T Research, Inc. (APT) is a specialty engineering services provider dedicated to safety and mission assurance (SMA). It delivers technical expertise in system safety, reliability, maintainability, quality assurance, software system safety, range safety, and explosives safety to government and defense sectors. Operating with a presence across Alabama, Florida, and Texas, it provides independent analysis, risk assessment, and training services to verify and validate complex aerospace and defense systems.
Provides full lifecycle analytical evaluations, hazard identification, and risk assessments integrated with model-based and agile systems engineering processes.
Delivers expert evaluations, flight safety modeling, explosives site planning, and airworthiness determinations for energetic systems.
Conducts engineering assessments and probabilistic risk evaluations to optimize system supportability and lifespan.
Supports hardware, systems, and software validation across the development lifecycle.
Performs critical software validation, independent verification and validation, custom tool development, and artificial intelligence safety evaluations.
Defines experimental and verification plans, test documents, and quantitative risk assessments to satisfy performance criteria.
Delivers accredited public and on-site instructional programs covering safety, risk, and reliability disciplines.
Greenbelt, MD | NASA Goddard Space Flight Center | Aerospace
A-P-T Research, Inc. participates as a member of the ARES Team delivering comprehensive safety and mission assurance support services.
View project sourceKennedy Space Center, FL | NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSC) | Space
Provision of safety and mission assurance support services for NASA's Kennedy Space Center operations under a multi-million dollar prime contract.
View project sourceHuntsville, AL | US Army Corps of Engineers Engineering and Support Center, Huntsville (USAESCH) | Defense
Delivering ordnance and explosives safety engineering support under the OASIS SB BPA program.
View project sourceFounder & Chairman of the Board
Tom Pfitzer founded A-P-T Research, Inc. and is a veteran systems safety training instructor. He previously chaired the IAASS Launch Safety Committee and received the ISSS Lifetime Achievement Award.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
ME in Space Systems, MS in Mechanical Engineering, BS in Aerospace Engineering
George Gafka has three decades of experience at NASA, where he served as NASA Chief Engineer, Chief Safety Officer, and Safety and Mission Assurance Director.
Executive VP, Chief of Staff (COS)
BS in Electrical Engineering
Saralyn Dwyer possesses over 25 years of experience with US Army and Missile Defense Agency development programs, specializing in explosive materials safety, hazard recognition, and hazard control.
VP, Director of Safety Engineering & Analysis Center (SEAC)
Melissa Emery has more than 25 years of system safety experience. Her background includes extensive work with the US Army and NASA, and she has held leadership positions in the International System Safety Society.