NASA appoints Indian-American Amit Kshatriya as top civil servant, leading Moon missions and advancing US space exploration. Photos/NASA, Freepik, NewsX.
NASA has appointed Indian-American space veteran Amit Kshatriya as its new associate administrator, the agency’s top civil service role, focused on advancing exploration missions. Kshatriya, a 20-year veteran of NASA, most recently served as deputy in charge of the Moon to Mars Programme within the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate (ESDMD) at NASA headquarters in Washington. In this role, he oversaw program planning and implementation for crewed missions to the Moon under the Artemis campaign, paving the way for humanity’s first mission to Mars.
“Acting NASA Administrator Sean P. Duffy Wednesday named exploration-focused Amit Kshatriya as the new associate administrator of NASA, the agency’s top civil service role,” NASA said in a statement.
Amit was born in Wisconsin to Indian immigrant parents who have studied math and science, respectively. His father is an engineer, while his mother is a chemist.
Amit has a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from the California Institute of Technology (CalTech). He has also studied at the University of Texas at Austin.
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Amit joined NASA in 2003 as a software engineer, robotics engineer, and spacecraft operator.
His focus was mainly on the robotic assembly of the International Space Station (ISS). With time, Amit earned recognition for his exceptional leadership and operational expertise.
Kshatriya and his wife have three children.
In his new capacity, Kshatriya serves as NASA’s highest-ranking civil servant and as a senior advisor to Administrator Sean P. Duffy. He oversees the agency’s 10 center directors and mission directorate associate administrators and functions as NASA’s chief operating officer.
“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,” he added.
In a statement, NASA said that Kshatriya’s promotion reinforces the agency’s focus on returning Americans to the Moon and staying ahead of China in space exploration.
“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,” the statement said.
NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal (April 2017) – Lead flight director for the 50th ISS expedition
Silver Snoopy Award (January 2013) – Lead robotics officer, Commercial Orbital Transportation Services Dragon demonstration mission
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
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