Indian American Amit Kshatriya, a 20 year veteran at NASA, has been named as the new exploration focussed associate administrator, the highest ranking civil service role at the US space agency. The announcement was made by Acting Administrator Sean P Duffy, who said the appointment highlights America’s commitment to returning to the Moon through the Artemis programme.
Kshatriya, born in Wisconsin to Indian immigrant parents, studied at the California Institute of Technology and the University of Texas at Austin. He joined NASA in 2003 and is among only about 100 people in history to have served as a mission control flight director. Over the years, he has received several honours, including the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal for leading the 50th expedition to the space station, and the Silver Snoopy award from astronauts for his contributions as lead robotics officer during the Dragon demonstration mission.
In his new role, Kshatriya will act as chief operating officer of NASA, leading the agency’s 10 centre directors and mission directorate administrators. He will also serve as senior advisor to Duffy. His leadership responsibilities will include shaping long term strategies for missions to the Moon and Mars.
Previously, Kshatriya served as deputy for the Moon to Mars Programme, where he oversaw planning and implementation of Artemis missions designed to prepare humanity for its first steps on Mars. “Promoting Kshatriya to NASA’s top ranks puts America’s return to the Moon through Artemis at the very core of our agency,” 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.”
The appointment also reflects how the current administration views the commercial space industry as vital to economic growth and exploration. NASA said Kshatriya brings unmatched operational and strategic experience that will help strengthen partnerships with the private sector and expand the space economy. His upbringing, influenced by his father, an engineer, and his mother, a chemist, who emphasised the importance of science and education, laid the foundation for his remarkable career.
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