20-Year NASA Vet Climbed Ranks From Robotics To Assoc Admin

Sean P. Duffy, acting Administrator of NASA, named Amit Kshatriya as its new Associate Administrator. Kshatriya is a 20-year veteran of the agency and now becomes its top full-time employee who reports directly to Duffy.

Kshatriya’s path to leadership took him through many of the technical teams during his 20 years, giving him a breadth of knowledge few at the agency can claim while pushing forward America’s capabilities for human exploration.

He worked in the Johnson Space Center in Houston in its mission operations section, and advanced from robotics staff to operations lead on ISS – International Space Station – systems.

During a stretch as a Mission Control flight director, he oversaw crew and cargo missions to the ISS and then became the deputy manager of the ISS office.

In 2021, Kshatriya moved to Washington, D.C. when he was promoted to assistant deputy associate administrator for exploration systems development for the SLS, Orion, and Exploration Ground Systems programs. In 2023, Kshatriya was appointed to deputy associate administrator for the Moon to Mars program.

In his new role as the top civil service position, Kshatriya is set to lead the agency through a new era with more focus on space as NASA will work more intently with industry to achieve its immediate imperative of beating China to the Moon.

Duffy is following through on moving NASA away from projects in the Earth sciences in favor of increased attention on space exploration. Kshatriya has experience in deploying billions in NASA funds to accomplish cargo and human exploration missions and now has a clear mandate.

Duffy said, “Under [Kshatriya’s] leadership, the agency will chart a bold vision to return to the Moon during President Trump’s term. Amit’s knowledge, integrity, and unwavering commitment to pioneering a new era of exploration make him uniquely qualified to lead our agency…With Amit we’ll continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible.”

FMI:  www.nasa.gov/