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Janet Petro. Photo: NASA
On his first day in office, President Trump named a list of acting cabinet and cabinet-level positions until his nominees are confirmed, including Janet Petro to serve as acting NASA administrator.
Petro has most recently served as director of the Kennedy Space Center in Florida where she managed the center’s employees, center policy, and executing Kennedy missions and agency program responsibilities. She served as deputy director of Kennedy Space Center for 14 years, and has been director since June of 2021.
Petro will serve as acting NASA administrator while Jared Isaacman, Trump’s nominee to lead NASA, goes through the confirmation process. Trump picked Isaacman to lead NASA in December. Isaacman is an entrepreneur and the founder of Shift4 and Draken International, and known in commercial space for commanding two private spaceflight missions on SpaceX Dragon capsules.
Petro said in a statement on LinkedIn that there will be more information about the priorities for NASA under the Trump administration “in the coming days.”
“NASA will continue to support and align with the policies set forth by the new administration, while remaining steadfast in our commitment to NASA’s mission and core values,” Petro said. “This is a reminder to our NASA workforce to lean into new experiences, because when we shy away from things that challenge us, we rob ourselves of the opportunity to grow.”
She replaces outgoing NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, who led NASA as the 14th administrator during the Biden administration.
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