Indian-origin Amit Kshatriya is the new Associate Administrator of NASA. (Image Credit - X/NASA)
Indian-American space veteran Amit Kshatriya has been appointed as NASA’s new associate administrator with a focus on exploration, the agency’s top civil service position. The announcement was made by Acting NASA Administrator Sean P. Duffy.
An employee of NASA for over 20 years, Kshatriya was the deputy head of the Moon to Mars Program in the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate (ESDMD) in the headquarters of NASA. He oversaw the entire operation of Artemis campaign during his tenure. It prepares astronauts for future lunar and Martian exploration missions.
Born in Wisconsin to Indian immigrant parents, Kshatriya studied at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and the University of Texas at Austin. He is among a select group of only about 100 people to have served as a mission control flight director.
He joined NASA in 2003 and quickly rose through the ranks. His awards include the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal, for his leadership during the 50th expedition to the International Space Station. He also received the Silver Snoopy Award, presented by astronauts for contributions to flight safety, for his work as lead robotics officer during the first Dragon cargo spacecraft demonstration mission.
Kshatriya will now be NASA’s chief operating officer and assist as a senior advisor to Administrator Duffy. He will oversee the agency’s 10 centre directors and all mission directorate leaders at headquarters. NASA said his appointment highlights the US government’s commitment to building stronger ties with the commercial space industry and growing the space economy.
According to Caltech’s alumni blog, Kshatriya’s parents, his father an engineer and his mother a chemist, instilled in him the value of education in science and mathematics. Today, he brings both operational expertise and strategic vision to NASA’s leadership team. Kshatriya and his wife are raising three children.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, better known as NASA, was founded in 1958 by the 34th US President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Located in Washington, DC, the agency is in charge of space -related activities in the US.
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