Who is Amit Kshatriya? Indian-origin engineer to lead NASA's program to get humans to Mars

NASA has announced Indian-origin engineer Amit Kshatriya as the first head of its new Moon to Mars Program Office at agency Headquarters in Washington. The Moon to Mars Program is the agency's quest to return humans to the Moon and prepare them for missions to Mars. Son of first-generation immigrant parents, Kshatriya will lead the office that has been established within the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate that reports to Jim Free, Associate Administrator. 

"I'm pleased to announce that we've selected Amit Kshatriya as the head of the Moon to Mars Program Office. Amit is a fantastic choice to lead the team to implement our Moon to Mars architecture, and I'm excited for him to step into this role," Free tweeted announcing Kshatriya's appointment. 

I'm pleased to announce that we've selected Amit Kshatriya as the head of the Moon to Mars Program Office. Amit is a fantastic choice to lead the team to implement our Moon to Mars architecture, and I'm excited for him to step into this role. More: https://t.co/PwQkIkwpWZ (3/3)

— Jim Free (@JimFree)

All about Amit Kshatriya

Born in Brookfield, Wisconsin, Kshatriya began his career in 2003 and has made contributions to missions ranging from Space Shuttle to Artemis 1. Starting with the Computer Science Staff of the Space Shuttle Avionics Development in 2003, he joined NASA's Johnson Space Center in 2006 and worked as a software engineer, robotics engineer, and spacecraft operator primarily focused on the robotic assembly of the International Space Station (ISS). 

According to his LinkedIn profile, Kshatriya holds a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California, and a Master of Arts in Mathematics from The University of Texas at Austin. In 2014, he was promoted as Flight Director and led teams carrying out spaceflight missions to the ISS. Having served as Deputy Manager of the ISS Vehicle Office since 2017, he was assigned to NASA Headquarters in the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate in 2021 as an assistant deputy associate administrator. He maintained this position until now and played a key role in the Artemis 1 mission, the uncrewed test flight (November 16-December 22) which kickstarted the Artemis Program. 

What is NASA's Moon to Mars Program?

This program, NASA says, has been established to develop systems that would support the Artemis Moon missions to prepare humans for exploration of Mars. These systems include a perfectly functioning Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, the Orion spacecraft, robust ground control, spacesuits, a human landing system, the Lunar Gateway (space station around the Moon), and other crucial aspects related to deep space exploration. 

“The golden age of exploration is happening right now, and this new office will help ensure that NASA successfully establishes a long-term lunar presence needed to prepare for humanity’s next giant leap to the Red Planet," NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in an official statement.