Key NASA officials' departure casts moon program uncertainty

20/2/2025 6:10

NASA is losing four key senior officials close to its

flagship moon program, according to people familiar with the

changes, adding more uncertainty over the agency's space

exploration trajectory as Elon Musk and President Donald Trump

play up missions to Mars.



Jim Free, NASA's associate administrator who has been a

central voice defending the agency's Artemis moon program, is

planning to leave the agency by Saturday, two sources said.



And in Huntsville, Alabama, three key officials at

NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center - one of the agency's ten

field centers and the epicenter of its Artemis moon program -

had their retirements announced internally on Tuesday, according

to a person familiar with the announcement.



Those roles at MSFC - chiefs of procurement, finance and

information - were filled in an acting capacity by deputies and

other NASA officials, the source said. No replacement for Free

was announced, the two sources said.



NASA spokespeople did not return requests for comment.