New Delhi, Jan 22 (NationPress) Janet Petro has been named the acting administrator of NASA, the United States space agency declared following President Donald Trump's recent inauguration this week.

While serving in an interim capacity, Petro marks a significant milestone as she is the first woman ever to head NASA since its establishment in 1958. She takes over from Bill Nelson, the 14th NASA administrator.

“Janet Petro is now NASA’s acting administrator. In this capacity, she will oversee the agency’s operations, including budgetary and programmatic decisions, until a new administrator is confirmed by the US Senate, ” NASA stated.

Importantly, Trump had nominated entrepreneur and commercial astronaut Jared Isaacman for the role of NASA administrator in December 2024.

Previously, Petro held the position of the 11th director of NASA’s John F. Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Her responsibilities included managing the Kennedy team of both civil service and contractor personnel, establishing and enforcing center policy, as well as overseeing Kennedy's missions and agency program obligations.

She has also acted as the deputy director and served as the acting director of Kennedy.

“While serving as deputy director, Petro played a crucial role in transforming Kennedy into a multi-user spaceport, spearheading cross-agency collaborations with the Federal Aviation Administration and the US Air Force to enhance governmental operations and support commercial space endeavors, thereby improving efficiency and minimizing redundancy,” NASA noted.

Additionally, she completed a 12-month term at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. as the deputy associate administrator and acting director of the Office of Evaluation. Petro began her career as a commissioned officer in the US Army.

She graduated in 1981 from the US Military Academy at West Point, New York, earning a Bachelor of Science in engineering, and also possesses a Master of Science in business administration from Boston University’s Metropolitan College.

In the meantime, NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy has also vacated her position, along with Nelson.

Jim Free has been appointed as the new associate administrator of NASA. He will serve as the senior advisor to the NASA administrator.

“Free will oversee the agency’s ten center directors and the mission directorate associate administrators at NASA Headquarters in Washington,” the agency reported.

Previously, Free was tasked with developing NASA’s Moon to Mars architecture, managing the systems development for NASA’s Artemis missions, and strategizing for NASA’s comprehensive deep space exploration plans.