Indian American Amit Kshatriya, a 20-year exploration-focused NASA veteran has been named as the new associate administrator of NASA, putting America’s return to the Moon through Artemis at the very core of the agency.
Kshatriya was most recently the deputy in charge of the Moon to Mars Program in the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate (ESDMD) at NASA Headquarters in Washington. In this role, Kshatriya was responsible for program planning and implementation for crewed missions to the Moon through the Artemis campaign in preparation for humanity’s first mission to Mars.
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“Promoting Kshatriya to NASA’s top ranks puts America’s return to the Moon through Artemis at the very core of our agency,” NASA stated announcing Kshatriya’s appointment to the agency’s top civil service role
“The move exemplifies President Donald J. Trump and Acting NASA Administrator Sean P. Duffy’s seriousness about returning Americans to the Moon and before China,’ it said.
“Amit has spent more than two decades as a dedicated public servant at NASA, working to advance American leadership in space. Under his leadership, the agency will chart a bold vision to return to the Moon during President Trump’s term,” said Duffy. “Amit’s knowledge, integrity, and unwavering commitment to pioneering a new era of exploration make him uniquely qualified to lead our agency as associate administrator. With Amit we’ll continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible.”
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Kshatriya’s promotion also signals how the Trump Administration sees the commercial space sector as an American economic engine, the release stated. By putting a proven leader at the top, NASA is set to partner even more closely with America’s booming space industry, grow the space economy, and ensure the future of exploration is built in the United States.
Born in Wisconsin, educated at California Institute of Technology and the University of Texas at Austin, Kshatriya is one of only about 100 people in history to serve as a mission control flight director. He brings unparalleled operational and strategic experience to NASA’s executive leadership team, NASA stated.