20-year NASA veteran Indian-American named US space agency's associate administrator

New York/Washington: A decorated Indian-American Amit Kshatriya has been named as NASA's new 'exploration-focussed' associate administrator, the US space agency announced.

Kshatriya, a 20-year NASA veteran, was most recently the deputy in charge of the Moon to Mars Programme in the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate (ESDMD) at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) headquarters in Washington.

“Acting NASA Administrator Sean P Duffy Wednesday named exploration-focussed Amit Kshatriya as the new associate administrator of NASA, the agency’s top civil service role,” a NASA statement said.

Born in Wisconsin to Indian immigrant parents, educated at California Institute of Technology (CalTech) 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 joined NASA in 2003. Kshatriya was decorated with the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal for actions as the lead flight director for the 50th expedition to the space station, according to his profile on the NASA website.

He is also the recipient of a Silver Snoopy, an award astronauts bestow for outstanding performance contributing to flight safety, for his actions as lead robotics officer for the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services Dragon demonstration mission to the orbiting laboratory, it added.

In his new role, he serves as the highest-ranking civil servant at the agency, and as a senior advisor to Duffy, NASA said.

Kshatriya leads the agency’s 10 centre directors, as well as the mission directorate associate administrators at NASA headquarters in Washington. He also acts as the agency’s chief operating officer.

Earlier in his role as the deputy in charge of the Moon to Mars Programme, Kshatriya was responsible for programme planning and implementation for crewed missions to the Moon through the Artemis campaign in preparation for humanity’s first mission to Mars.

“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.

“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 said.

Kshatriya’s promotion also signals how the Trump Administration sees the commercial space sector as an American economic engine, the statement said. 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, it added.

Kshatriya brings unparalleled operational and strategic experience to NASA’s executive leadership team, the statement added.

According to the Caltech alumni blog, Kshatriya’s father, an engineer, and mother, a chemist, -- both Indian immigrants -- stressed the importance of an education in math and science.

He and his wife have three children.