NASA names Kathy Lueders First Female to Head Human Spaceflight

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has named Kathy Lueders, the first female head of human spaceflight, as it prepares to return people to the Moon in 2024.

According to NASA agency, Kathy Lueders, who had managed the inaugural private crewed flight into space last month, has been promoted to become the first female head of human spaceflight.

Kathy Lueders to head human spaceflight

“Kathy Lueders has been selected to lead @NASA’s Human Exploration & Operations Mission Directorate,” NASA head Jim Bridenstine announced on Twitter.

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#ICYMI: @Commercial_Crew Program Manager Kathy Lueders has been selected to be the agency’s next associate administrator of human spaceflight programs. 🚀

The appointment takes effect following our successful #LaunchAmerica mission to the @Space_Station: https://t.co/skJj2DlSt3 pic.twitter.com/2NAjmCVfds

— NASA (@NASA) June 12, 2020

“Kathy has successfully managed both the Commercial Crew & Commercial Cargo programs and is the right person to lead HEO as we prepare to send astronauts to the Moon in 2024,” he added.

Lueders, who joined the space agency in 1992, has for years been in charge of the exhaustive testing program for space capsules developed by SpaceX, Boeing and other companies. They are partnering with the space agency to build vessels that can safely take humans into space.

“You can never sell this NASA and SpaceX team short, they’ve accomplished miracles for me,” Lueders said in a briefing before last month’s launch.

The program to develop commercial space flight programs for NASA was launched a decade ago under the presidency of Barack Obama.

NASA’s schedule, set by the administration of President Donald Trump, aims to put two astronauts, including the first woman, on the Moon in 2024 using the heavy SLS rocket and the Orion capsule.