Overview

• Acting Administrator Sean P. Duffy appointed Kshatriya on Sept. 3 to the agency’s top civil service post, where he serves as chief operating officer and leads NASA’s 10 center directors and mission directorates.
• Kshatriya previously led the Moon to Mars Program Office created in 2023 and was responsible for planning and implementing crewed Artemis missions.
• NASA characterized the move as placing Artemis at the core of the agency and emphasized a goal of returning Americans to the Moon before China.
• Industry voices and former officials, speaking around a Senate Commerce Committee hearing, said the appointment signals renewed commitment as some warn China could land astronauts on the Moon before NASA’s next crewed return.
• The decision comes while NASA’s top political leadership remains unsettled, with Duffy serving in an acting capacity and several nominations, including deputy administrator and chief financial officer, still pending after an earlier withdrawal.