Amit Kshatriya: Indian-American scientist helping steer NASA’s return to the Moon
Washington, April 13. From watching rocket launches as a child near Houston to overseeing day-to-day operations at NASA, Indian-American scientist Amit Kshatriya has carved out a remarkable career at the US space agency as it works toward landing astronauts on the Moon again.
Kshatriya currently serves as NASA’s Associate Administrator – the agency’s highest-ranking civil servant – and acts as Chief Operating Officer and senior adviser to Administrator Jared Isaacman. In this role, he supervises NASA’s 10 centre directors and mission directorate leaders from headquarters in Washington, guiding operations across the organisation.
Born in Brookfield, Wisconsin, to first-generation Indian immigrant parents, Kshatriya grew up in Katy, a suburb of Houston that he considers his hometown. His fascination with space began early as he watched launches linked to Mission Control at Johnson Space Center.
He earned a Bachelor of Science in mathematics from the California Institute of Technology and a Master of Arts in mathematics from the University of Texas at Austin. After brief stints in the oil and gas and medical sectors, he joined United Space Alliance – NASA’s primary space shuttle contractor – in 2003.
Over the years, Kshatriya has worked as a software engineer, robotics engineer and spacecraft operator, playing a key role in the robotic assembly of the International Space Station. Between 2014 and 2017, he served as a space station flight director, leading international teams in mission operations across all flight phases.
He later became deputy and then acting manager of the ISS Vehicle Office, overseeing engineering, logistics and hardware programme management from 2017 to 2021. That year, he moved to NASA Headquarters as assistant deputy associate administrator for the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate, contributing to the mission that returned a human-rated spacecraft to lunar trajectory during Artemis I.
Kshatriya subsequently served as Deputy Associate Administrator for the Moon to Mars programme, central to NASA’s plans for a sustained human presence on the Moon as a stepping stone for future interplanetary missions. He was appointed Associate Administrator in September last year.
His contributions have earned him the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal for his role as lead flight director during the 50th expedition to the ISS. He is also a recipient of the Silver Snoopy award – presented by astronauts for outstanding contributions to flight safety – for his work as lead robotics officer during the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services Dragon demonstration mission.
