Amit Kshatriya, a decorated Indian-American, has been appointed as NASA's new associate administrator. The US space agency announced that this role is "exploration-focused".
Career at NASA
Kshatriya is a 20-year veteran of NASA. Before this promotion, he was the deputy in charge of the Moon to Mars Programme in the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate (ESDMD) at NASA's headquarters in Washington.
Born in Wisconsin to Indian immigrant parents, Kshatriya earned his education from the California Institute of Technology (CalTech) and the University of Texas at Austin. He is one of only about 100 people in history to serve as a mission control flight director. He began his career at NASA in 2003.
Kshatriya's parents, an engineer and a chemist, both Indian immigrants, emphasised the importance of a strong education in math and science. He and his wife have three children.
Awards and recognition
According to his profile on the NASA website, Kshatriya has been recognised with the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal for his role as lead flight director for the 50th expedition to the space station. He also received a Silver Snoopy award, which is an honour bestowed by astronauts for outstanding performance that contributes to flight safety. He earned this award for his actions as the lead robotics officer for the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services Dragon demonstration mission.
New role and responsibilities
As the highest-ranking civil servant at the agency, Kshatriya will serve as a senior advisor to Acting NASA Administrator Sean P. Duffy. He will lead the agency's 10 center directors and the mission directorate associate administrators at NASA headquarters. He will also serve as the agency's chief operating officer.
In a statement, Duffy said, "Promoting Kshatriya to NASA’s top ranks puts America’s return to the Moon through Artemis at the very core of our agency. The move exemplifies President Donald J. Trump and Duffy’s seriousness about returning Americans to the Moon and before China".
Duffy added, "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".
Kshatriya's promotion also signals how the Trump administration views the commercial space sector as an American economic engine. By placing a proven leader in this top position, NASA is positioned to partner more closely with America's growing space industry to ensure that the future of exploration is built in the United States.
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