• Source:JND

Space agency NASA on Saturday marked the successful completion of its Artemis II mission to the Moon. The four astronauts splashed safely in the Pacific Ocean after completing a 10-day journey around the Moon. While the crew was mostly American and Canadian, an Indian brain was also behind this mission.

Who Is Amit Kshatriya?

Amit Kshatriya, who serves as NASA’s associate administrator, is one of the highest-ranking civil servants at the agency, contributed to mission planning and execution. This Indian American space scientist also acts as the agency’s Chief Operating Officer (COO), and
leads 10 centre directors and mission directorate.

Born in Brookfield, Wisconsin, to first-generation Indian immigrant parents, he always felt fascinated by rocket launches. He studied 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. He did not directly join NASA after his graduation. Instead, he spent time in the oil and gas industry and the medical sector before joining United Space Alliance, agency’s primary contractor for the space shuttle programme in 2003.

His Journey To NASA

From 2014 to 2017, Amit served as a space station flight director. He then moved to NASA Headquarters as assistant deputy associate administrator for the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate in 2021. In this role, he directed and led the programs to ensure Artemis and Mars' planning and development. Amit also became an integral part of the team that returned to a spacecraft designed to carry humans to the Moon during the Artemis I mission.

For his impressive achievements, Amit was awarded with the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal and Silver Snoopy, an award astronauts bestow for outstanding performance contributing to flight safety.

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