This organisational realignment comes as part of the agency’s push to expand lunar exploration, nuclear propulsion development and commercial activity in orbit.
The overhaul, unveiled on Friday (22 May 2026) is designed to sharpen NASA’s operational focus, streamline decision making and reduce bureaucratic delays, with agency leadership arguing the changes will allow the space agency to deliver major programs “with greater speed and efficiency”.
The announcement follows discussions at NASA’s Ignition event in March, where NASA administrator Jared Isaacman and senior officials outlined priorities for the next phase of American space leadership.
Central to the reforms is the implementation of President Donald Trump’s executive order on American space superiority, known as the National Space Policy, which directs NASA to focus its resources on a number of strategic priorities. These include accelerating the Artemis lunar program, establishing a permanent moon base, developing nuclear-powered space systems, expanding the commercial orbital economy and increasing scientific exploration missions.
Under the new structure, NASA’s centre directors will continue reporting to associate administrator Amit Kshatriya, who will oversee the agency’s infrastructure investments and workforce capability development while strengthening the specialised functions of each NASA centre.
At the same time, NASA’s mission directorates will now report directly to the administrator, a move intended to speed up coordination across NASA centres, industry partners and international collaborators.
Kshatriya will also assume the role of NASA chief engineer, consolidating technical oversight and reinforcing the agency’s engineering decision-making processes.
NASA said the restructure would also support efforts to rebuild internal technical capability by increasing the use of civil servants in place of contractors where appropriate, expanding internship pathways and strengthening recruitment through the agency’s NASA Force initiative in partnership with the US Office of Personnel Management.
Isaacman said the changes were intended to eliminate inefficiencies while maintaining the agency’s core programs and workforce.
“This initiative reflects NASA’s intense focus on delivering the mission in direct support of the National Space Policy,” Isaacman said.
“We are concentrating resources on the highest-priority objectives that only NASA can undertake while removing unnecessary bureaucracy and obstacles that slow progress.
“There will be no workforce reductions, no program cancellations and no centre closures, but we expect to achieve savings through more efficient execution and by taking a more active role in delivering the outcomes the world expects from NASA.”
As part of the restructure, NASA’s Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate and Space Operations Mission Directorate will merge to form the new Human Spaceflight Mission Directorate, consolidating oversight of crewed missions to low-Earth orbit and the moon.
Meanwhile, the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate and Space Technology Mission Directorate will combine to create the Research and Technology Mission Directorate, which will oversee advanced aerospace research, nuclear propulsion and next-generation space technologies.
NASA’s Science Mission Directorate will remain unchanged, continuing its role as the agency’s primary scientific research arm.
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