Amit Kshatriya, a software and robotics engineer of Indian origin, has been appointed as head of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Moon to Mars Program Office, which will look after human exploration activities on the moon and Mars. Previously, Kshatriya served as acting deputy associate administrator for the space agency’s Common Exploration Systems Development Division where he headed the Orion spacecraft, the Space Launch System and the Exploration Ground Systems programmes. Kshatriya started his career in the space programme in 2003 and went on to work as a space station flight director. Between 2017 and 2021, he served as the deputy and then acting manager of the International Space Station (ISS) Office.