Washington: Indian American Amit Kshatriya has been named the new associate administrator of the US space agency NASA, the top civil service role within the organisation. The announcement was made on Wednesday by Acting NASA Administrator Sean P. Duffy. According to NASA, Kshatriya is working with NASA for almost 20 years now. He was most recently serving as the deputy in charge of the Moon to Mars Program in the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate (ESDMD) at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

In that capacity, he oversaw program planning and execution for crewed missions to the Moon under the Artemis campaign, seen as the foundation for humanity’s first mission to Mars. NASA said that Kshatriya’s elevation reflects the priority the United States places on returning humans to the Moon during President Donald J Trump’s term, especially in the context of growing space competition with China. “Promoting Kshatriya to NASA’s top ranks puts America’s return to the Moon through Artemis at the very core of our agency,” the agency said in its release.

“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 Acting Administrator Sean P Duffy. He added that Kshatriya’s “knowledge, integrity, and unwavering commitment” make him uniquely qualified to lead.

The agency also linked Kshatriya’s promotion to a broader strategy of strengthening ties with the private sector. “Kshatriya’s promotion also signals how the Trump Administration sees the commercial space sector as an American economic engine. 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,” NASA said in the press release.

Born in Wisconsin, Kshatriya studied at the California Institute of Technology and the University of Texas at Austin. He is among only about 100 people in history to have served as a mission control flight director, bringing rare operational and strategic experience to NASA’s executive leadership team, as per NASA.