NASA creates two new directorates for low-Earth and deep space missions

NASA chief Bill Nelson, on September 21, announced the reorganisation of the agency, as two new directorates have been created out of the current Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate. The unit has been split into the new Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate (ESDMD) and Space Operations Mission Directorate that will lay the groundwork for NASA’s better operations for the next 20 years, said the company’s official website. 

What will the ESDMD do? 

The new Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate (ESDMD) has been formed with an intent to define and manage system development for programs critical to Artemis and plan the Moon to Mars exploration approach in an integrated manner, NASA informed. In simple terms, this faction of NASA, which will see the return of Jim Free as an associate administrator, will be responsible for the success of deep space exploration missions far away from our planet. As per Nelson, the reorganisation has positioned NASA and the US to reach out farther in the universe while supporting the continued commercialisation of space and research on the International Space Station (ISS). 

What will the Space Operations Mission Directorate do?

This faction of the agency will focus on missions that will be centered around the Earth and in its lower orbit. The agency revealed that the directorate will focus on launch and space operations including the ISS in the low-Earth orbit, commercialisation of space flights and eventually, sustaining operations on and around the Moon. The agency will look to expand the low-Earth orbit economy, launch state-of-the-art science missions, and prepare for future operations to the Moon and Mars, said Kathy Leuders, associate administrator of the directorate. 

Need for the directorates

NASA’s reorganisation comes forward as the low-earth orbit has seen a higher number of operations in the recent past along with the development programs aimed at deep space explorations. The agency stated that the newly-formed directorates will offer focussed oversight teams to support and execute missions meant for the Moon to Mars and beyond. This approach where one mission directorate operates in space while the other builds future space systems, will ensure a constant development and operations cycle for NASA, said the agency.

Image: Twitter/@NASA