Who is Amit Kshatriya, an Indian-American engineer to head NASA's 'Moon to Mars' programme?
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has recently launched the Moon to Mars programme with an aim to establish agency's long-term presence on the Moon that is required to prepare astronauts to take the next giant leap to Mars. It will be headed by Indian-American software and robotics engineer Amit Kshatriya. Know all about him.
FollowAs the first director of NASA's newly formed Moon to Mars Programme, Amit Kshatriya, an accomplished Indian-American software and robotics expert, will assist the agency in ensuring a long-term lunar presence necessary to get ready for humanity's next great jump to the Red Planet.
According to a statement released by NASA on Thursday, Kshatriya will take over as the organisation's first chief of office immediately. The new office aims to carry out the agency’s human exploration activities on the Moon and Mars for the benefit of humanity, a NASA press release said.
According to NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, "the golden age of exploration is now, and this new office will help ensure that NASA successfully establishes a long-term lunar presence needed to prepare for humanity's next great leap to the Red Planet."
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Nelson said, "The Moon to Mars Programme Office will aid NASA in preparing to carry out our audacious trips to the Moon and place the first people on Mars."
What is the aim of the programme?
The Moon to Mars Programme Office focuses on hardware development, mission integration, and risk management tasks for programmes critical to the agency's exploration approach, which uses Artemis missions at the Moon to usher in a new era of scientific discovery and get ready for manned missions to Mars, as instructed by the 2022 NASA Authorisation Act, according to a press release.
This covers the Space Launch System rocket, the Orion ship, auxiliary ground equipment, spacesuits, and other deep space exploration-related items. According to the statement, the new agency will also oversee long-term planning and analysis to assist human missions to Mars.
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Know all about Kshatriya
In his new role, Kshatriya will be responsible for programme planning and implementation for human missions to the Moon and Mars. Kshatriya oversaw the Space Launch System, Orion, and Exploration Ground Systems projects as well as related Artemis Campaign Development Division efforts connecting the agency's Moon to Mars goals. Kshatriya also provided guidance and coordination for these programmes.
He had previously held the position of Common Exploration Systems Development Division temporary deputy associate administrator. As a software engineer, robotics engineer, and spaceship operator, Kshatriya started his job in the space project in 2003. He mainly worked on the robotic construction of the International Space Station.
He worked as a space station flight director from 2014 to 2017, leading international teams in the management and implementation of the space station throughout all stages of flight.
He was given a job at NASA Headquarters in 2021 as an assistant deputy associate administrator in the Exploration Systems Development voyage Directorate, where he played a crucial role in the team that brought back a rocket intended to take people to the Moon during the Artemis I voyage.
Kshatriya, a first-generation refugee from India to the US, has a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California, as well as a Master of Arts in Mathematics from The University of Texas at Austin.
Kshatriya was born in Brookfield, Wisconsin, but considers Katy, Texas, to be his hometown.
(With PTI inputs)
