NASA Names Kathy Lueders First Girl to Head Human Spaceflight

“Kathy Lueders has been chosen to guide @NASA’s Human Exploration & Operations Mission Directorate,” NASA head Jim Bridenstine introduced on Twitter.

“Kathy has efficiently managed each the Business Crew & Business Cargo applications and is the appropriate individual to guide HEO as we put together to ship astronauts to the Moon in 2024,” he added.

Lueders, who joined NASA in 1992, oversaw the Could 30 launch of two astronauts on a SpaceX rocket to the Worldwide House Station — the primary ever crewed industrial flight into the house.

The first Girl to Head Human Spaceflight has for years been in control of the exhaustive testing program for house capsules developed by SpaceX, Boeing and different firms which are partnering with NASA to construct vessels that may safely take people into the house.

“You possibly can by no means promote this NASA and SpaceX staff quick, they’ve achieved miracles for me,” Lueders mentioned in a briefing earlier than final month’s launch.

This system to develop industrial house flight applications for NASA was launched a decade in the past below the administration of then-president Barack Obama, marking a dramatic change for the house company, which had beforehand designed and constructed its personal rockets and house autos.

NASA’s schedule, set by the administration of President Donald Trump, goals to place two astronauts, together with the primary lady, on the Moon in 2024 utilizing the heavy SLS rocket and the Orion capsule.

However, this system is delayed and NASA has not made the ultimate resolution as to which firm will construct the Moon lander.