NASA divides the human spaceflight division into two separate agencies – one focused on large, future-oriented missions to the Moon and Mars, and the other on the International Space Station and other operations closer to Earth.
The reorganization, announced by NASA chief Bill Nelson on Tuesday, reflects the growing relationship between private companies, such as SpaceX, which has commercialized rocket flights and the federal agency that has run the US monopoly on spaceflight for decades.
The jolt was also driven by the recent proliferation of aviation and commercial investment in low-Earth orbit, Nelson said, even as NASA stepped up development of its space aspirations.
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“Today is more than just organizational change,” Nelson said at a news conference. “This paved the way for the next 20 years, defining NASA’s future in the growing space economy.”
The move splits NASA’s Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, currently headed by Kathy Louders, into two separate branches.
Leuders will retain his Associate Administrator title as head of the New Exploration Systems Development Task Force, focusing on NASA’s more ambitious long-term programs, such as plans to return astronauts to the Moon under Project Artemis, and ultimately human exploration of Mars.
Retired Associate Deputy Administrator James Free, who has played key roles on NASA’s space station, commercial crew and cargo program, will return to the agency as head of the new Space Operations Directorate. The branch will primarily oversee more routine launches and spaceflight activities, including missions involving the space station and the privatization of low-Earth orbit, as well as maintaining lunar operations once established.
“This two-area approach focused on human spaceflight allows one mission directorate to operate in space while the other builds future space systems,” NASA said in a press release announcing the move.
The announcement comes less than a week after SpaceX, which has flown several astronaut missions and cargo payloads to the NASA space station, launched the first civilian crew to reach orbit and return them safely to Earth.
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