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NASA and Caltech say Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman will become Caltech associate vice president and deputy director of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory on Nov. 30, 2026. He will oversee strategic leadership and laboratory operations, including mission execution and JPL’s interface for national security programs.
Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman has been named Caltech associate vice president and deputy director of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA and Caltech said. He is scheduled to start on Nov. 30, 2026, taking on leadership of the Southern California laboratory responsible for NASA missions in robotics and deep-space exploration.
In the role, Wiseman will oversee the strategic leadership, stewardship and continuous improvement of JPL operations. The appointment includes working with Caltech on institutional planning, management and compliance. Caltech manages JPL for NASA.
Wiseman will also serve as the laboratory’s Center Management Authority for mission execution, with responsibility for operational performance across mission-support functions under NASA requirements and applicable federal and state regulations. He will be JPL’s primary interface for national security programs, according to NASA’s announcement.
Wiseman is a retired U.S. Navy captain and an emeritus astronaut. He joined NASA’s astronaut corps in 2009, served as a flight engineer on the International Space Station’s Expedition 41 in 2014, and led the astronaut corps as NASA’s chief astronaut from December 2020 to November 2022. NASA says he also commanded the agency’s 21st Extreme Environment Mission Operations expedition, spending eight days in an undersea habitat in 2016.
Wiseman’s Role in JPL Operations
The appointment places an astronaut with experience in human spaceflight operations and crew readiness in a senior management role at a laboratory whose work centers on robotic and deep-space missions. The job is not described as a flight assignment: it covers laboratory operations, mission execution and institutional oversight.
JPL supports NASA missions and is the agency’s only federally funded research and development center, according to the announcement. Wiseman’s responsibilities will therefore touch the systems and management that support a range of missions, not only the Artemis program. His selection links experience leading astronaut crews with oversight of a major NASA research and mission center; the announcement does not specify which individual missions or projects he will directly manage.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said Wiseman would continue serving NASA “from a new vantage point at JPL.” JPL Director and Caltech Vice President Dave Gallagher said Wiseman would add experience leading teams through high-stakes missions to the laboratory’s leadership group. Those are officials’ assessments of the appointment; the announcement does not provide performance goals or a detailed plan for changes under Wiseman.
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From Artemis Flight to JPL Leadership
Wiseman’s new appointment follows his service as commander of Artemis II, a crewed lunar flyby test flight. NASA says Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen traveled 695,081 miles during the mission. The agency described the crew as traveling farther from Earth than any humans had before.
His NASA career also includes the 165-day Expedition 41 mission aboard the International Space Station. As chief astronaut, he led NASA’s astronaut corps and oversaw crew flight readiness and safety for human spaceflight missions, according to NASA. Before NASA, he served in the Navy, flew combat missions and worked as a test pilot.
Wiseman earned a bachelor’s degree in computer and systems engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a master’s degree in systems engineering from Johns Hopkins University. JPL is approaching its 90th anniversary; it was founded by Caltech, which operates the lab for NASA. The new position places Wiseman in the institution’s leadership as it enters that milestone.
“That experience was really the jumping off point to go do the impossible things that Caltech and JPL dream, dare together, and do for NASA and the nation.”
— Reid Wiseman
Details of Wiseman’s JPL Priorities
The announcement sets out Wiseman’s broad duties and start date but does not identify specific operational changes, goals or mission assignments he will pursue. It also does not detail how responsibilities will be divided among Wiseman, Gallagher and other JPL leaders, or whether Wiseman will remain involved in any Artemis work after moving to the lab.
The appointment is described as scheduled to begin on Nov. 30, 2026. NASA and Caltech have not provided further information in the announcement about the transition process or any milestones for evaluating Wiseman’s work.
Start Date and Leadership Handoff
The next stated milestone is Wiseman’s Nov. 30, 2026 start as Caltech associate vice president and JPL deputy director. After he takes office, his responsibilities will include operational stewardship, mission-execution oversight and coordination with Caltech on institutional management and compliance.
Further details about his priorities, the scope of his national security portfolio and any changes to JPL’s management approach have not been announced. NASA, Caltech and JPL may provide additional information as the start date approaches or once Wiseman begins the job.
Key Questions
What position will Reid Wiseman hold at JPL?
Wiseman will become Caltech associate vice president and deputy director of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
When does Wiseman’s new role begin?
NASA and Caltech say he is scheduled to begin on Nov. 30, 2026.
What will Wiseman be responsible for?
His duties include strategic leadership and oversight of JPL operations, serving as Center Management Authority for mission execution, and acting as the lab’s primary interface for national security programs.
What experience is Wiseman bringing to JPL?
Wiseman commanded the Artemis II lunar flyby, served on the International Space Station and led NASA’s astronaut corps as chief astronaut from 2020 to 2022. He is also a retired Navy captain and former test pilot.
Has JPL announced Wiseman’s specific priorities?
No. The announcement describes his responsibilities but does not list specific goals, mission assignments or planned management changes.
Source: nasa.gov
