Reid Wiseman named JPL deputy director

Former Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman will become associate vice‑president and deputy director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory on Nov. 30, 2026. The move follows his retirement from active astronaut duty and the lunar flyby that took him and his crewmates farther from Earth than any crewed mission before. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said Wiseman's experience at the edge of what is possible will help push that edge farther.

From Lunar Flight to JPL Leadership

Wiseman, a retired U.S. Navy captain, joined NASA's astronaut corps in 2009. He spent 165 days on the International Space Station during Expedition 41, performed two spacewalks, and served as NASA's chief astronaut from 2020 to 2022. He also commanded the 21st Extreme Environment Mission Operations expedition, living eight days in an ocean‑floor habitat, before leading the Artemis II mission that flew around the Moon in April 2026.

In his new role, Wiseman will oversee strategic leadership, stewardship, and continuous improvement of laboratory operations. He will partner with Caltech on institutional planning, management, and compliance, serve as the Center Management Authority for mission execution, and act as JPL's primary interface for national security programs.

JPL is a federally funded research and development center. It is responsible for some of NASA's most recognizable planetary missions, such as the Perseverance and Curiosity rovers, Europa Clipper, and the Voyager probes, and it operates the Deep Space Network for spacecraft communications. The appointment comes days before JPL's 90th anniversary.