WASHINGTON — The head of NASA’s exploration programs is leaving the agency in the latest leadership shakeup since the start of the Trump administration.
NASA announced Feb. 24 that Cathy Koerner would retire from the agency at the end of the week as associate administrator for exploration systems development. Koerner has served in that role since the end of 2023.
Koerner spent 34 years at NASA in various roles, including Orion program manager and deputy associate administrator for exploration systems development. She took the position of associate administrator for exploration systems development when Jim Free, the previous person in that role, became associate administrator, the highest civil-service position at the agency.
Free retired from the agency last week after 30 years at NASA. It came a month after the Trump administration passed him over to serve as acting administrator, after some initial confusion, instead selecting Janet Petro, director of the Kennedy Space Center, to lead the agency while awaiting the Senate confirmation of Jared Isaacman.
“Cathy’s legacy is one of unwavering dedication to human spaceflight, and we are grateful for her years of service,” Petro said in a statement.
The departures of both Free and Koerner have raised new questions about the future of the Artemis lunar exploration campaign, the central part of the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate (ESDMD) they led over the last several years. The Trump administration is reportedly scrutinizing Artemis but has yet to provide any formal direction on any changes to it. However, sources in the agency say they are interpreting the sudden departures of Free and Koerner as signs of impending major changes.
Replacing Koerner on an acting basis will be Lori Glaze, the deputy associate administrator for exploration systems development. Glaze is a planetary scientist who for several years was director of the agency’s planetary science division. She took a detail in ESDMD last spring and, several months later, elected to stay in that directorate as deputy associate administrator.
NASA also announced Feb. 24 that Vanessa Wyche, director of the Johnson Space Center, has become acting associate administrator, succeeding Free. She has been at NASA for 35 years, including nearly four years as director of JSC.
“Vanessa will bring exceptional leadership to NASA’s senior ranks, helping guide our workforce toward the opportunities that lie ahead,” Petro said in the statement.
In another move announced at the same time, NASA hired Jackie Jester as associate administrator for the Office of Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs. She had been senior director for government affairs at launch vehicle developer Relativity Space and had previously worked at NASA as a policy advisor.
“What did you do” memo resolution
The agency also finalized its response to a memo sent by the Office of Personnel Management Feb. 22, asking all federal employees to provide bullet points on their accomplishments in the last week. Elon Musk, the de facto head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), had stated on social media that employees who did not respond by the Feb. 24 deadline would be fired.
NASA officials had initially provided employees with conflicting advice on how to deal with the memo, with some encouraging staff to respond and others recommending holding off. They later recommended across the board that employees not reply.
In a statement to reporters Feb. 24, NASA said that it was not requiring employees to respond. “NASA leadership is responding to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) request on behalf of the agency workforce,” an agency spokesperson said.
“You are not required to respond, and there is no impact to your employment with the agency if you choose not to respond,” Petro said in an internal message to NASA employees.
That guidance aligned with many other federal agencies, who called on their employees not to respond to the email. OPM itself reportedly informed agencies Feb. 24 that responses to the email were no longer required.
However, Musk reiterated his threats to fire nonresponsive employees. “Subject to the discretion of the President, they will be given another chance,” he posted on social media late Feb. 24 of employees who did not respond. “Failure to respond a second time will result in termination.”
