Editor\u2019s Note: This advisory was updated May 22, 2026 to include a retirement.<\/p>\n
NASA announced Friday an agencywide realignment to increase mission focus and move out on the National Space Policy. These changes position the agency to better deliver on the nation\u2019s highest\u2011priority objectives with speed and efficiency.<\/p>\n
During the Ignition<\/a> event in late March, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman and agency leaders outlined the most pressing objectives to deliver on the next chapter of American leadership in space. President Trump\u2019s Executive Order Ensuring American Space Superiority, otherwise known as the National Space Policy, directed NASA to focus talent and resources on objectives including accelerating the Artemis program, establishing a Moon Base, developing a nuclear space reactor, igniting the orbital economy, and expanding missions of science and discovery.<\/p>\n To support the agency\u2019s ambitious short- and long-term goals, NASA is taking action to increase specialization at centers and integrate mission directorates, elevating delivery of technically excellent work. Some of these actions include:<\/p>\n Center directors will continue reporting to Associate Administrator Amit Kshatriya, empowered to foster the unique capabilities of each center, and strengthen investments in infrastructure and the health of their workforce. \u201cThis initiative reflects NASA\u2019s extreme focus on executing the mission in direct support of the National Space Policy. We are focusing resources on the most pressing objectives only NASA is capable of undertaking and liberating the workforce from unnecessary bureaucracy and obstacles that impede progress. We aim to rebuild competencies and instill a culture that attracts the best and brightest capable of pursuing the most demanding engineering challenges and moving safely and urgently,\u201d said Isaacman. \u201cThere will be no reduction in force, no program cancellations, no closures, but we will achieve cost savings through more efficient execution and taking an active role in delivering the outcomes the world has been waiting for from NASA. This is how we deliver on the mission, meet the moment, and continue to make history on behalf of the American people.\u201d<\/p>\n Mission directorate realignment is as follows:<\/p>\n Human Spaceflight Mission Directorate (HSMD): With human spaceflight operational to both low Earth orbit and the Moon, the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate and Space Operations Mission Directorate will unify as HSMD. Additional leadership roles, in alphabetical order, include:<\/p>\n John Bailey, associate administrator, Mission Support Directorate Leadership at unlisted centers remains unchanged.<\/p>\n For more, please visit:<\/p>\n https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/nasa-leadership<\/a><\/p>\n -end-<\/p>\n Bethany Stevens \/ Camille Gallo
\nMission directorates will now report directly to the administrator, ensuring focus on the mission and enabling them to leverage resources across centers, industry, and international partnerships with greater speed and efficiency.
\nThe associate administrator also now serves as NASA chief engineer, reinforcing the agency\u2019s technical backbone and ensuring continuity and autonomy in critical engineering decisions.
\nThe agency continues to focus on rebuilding core competencies, insourcing contractors to civil servants where appropriate, strengthening the intern pipeline, and leveraging the agency\u2019s joint recruitment initiative with the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, NASA Force, to build a strong, sustainable workforce for generations to come.<\/p>\n
\nResearch and Technology Mission Directorate (RTMD): NASA will integrate the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate and Space Technology Mission Directorate into the new RTMD. As a combined research, space technology, and aeronautics organization charged with nuclear power and propulsion development, RTMD will ensure NASA has the capabilities needed for the mission of today and the future.
\nScience Mission Directorate (SMD): Remains unchanged and continues to provide the foundation for NASA\u2019s world\u2011leading scientific discovery.<\/p>\n
\nKevin Coggins, director, SCaN (Space Communications and Navigation), RTMD
\nWesley Deadrick, director, Katherine Johnson IV&V Facility
\nJamie Dunn, director, NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center
\nCarlos Garc\u00eda-Gal\u00e1n, program manager, Moon Base, HSMD
\nDr. Lori Glaze, associate administrator, HSMD
\nLaurie Grindle, director, Aeronautics Division, RTMD
\nMarvin Horne, deputy assistant administrator for Procurement
\nBrian Hughes, director, NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center
\nKathleen Karika, associate administrator, Office of International and Interagency Relations, OIIR
\nDr. James Kenyon, associate administrator, RTMD
\nKelvin Manning, deputy associate administrator, HSMD
\nMeredith McKay, deputy associate administrator, OIIR
\nDave Mitchell, special assignment lead for NASA Headquarters Relocation
\nJoel Montalbano, deputy associate administrator, HSMD
\nBradley Niese, associate administrator for Procurement
\nEli Ouder, acting deputy associate administrator, Mission Support Directorate
\nJeremy Parsons, program manager, Artemis, HSMD
\nBob Pearce to retire as head of ARMD after an amazing 36-year career at NASA
\nWanda Peters, deputy associate administrator, RTMD
\nDawn Schaible, director, NASA\u2019s Glenn Research Center
\nCynthia Simmons, deputy director, NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center
\nSteve Sinacore, acting director, Space Reactor Office; program manager for SR-1, LR-1, RTMD
\nAdam Steltzner, chief engineer for Special Projects
\nGreg Stover, director, Advanced Research and Technology Division, RTMD
\nDana Weigel, program manager, Low Earth Orbit, HSMD<\/p>\n
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
bethany.c.stevens@nasa.gov<\/a> \/ camille.m.gallo@nasa.gov<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Editor\u2019s Note: This advisory was updated May 22, 2026 to include a retirement. NASA announced Friday an agencywide…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":658846,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[6136,60076,947,949,25581,28818,79],"class_list":["post-658845","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-science","tag-aeronautics","tag-exploration-systems-development-mission-directorate","tag-missions","tag-nasa-directorates","tag-office-of-international-and-interagency-relations-oiir","tag-organizations","tag-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/658845","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=658845"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/658845\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/658846"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=658845"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=658845"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=658845"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}