Jim Free, associate administrator for NASA’s Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate since 2021, has been promoted to associate administrator, succeeding Bob Cabana, who is retiring at the end of the year after two years in the position.
Free will serve as senior adviser to the NASA administrator and deputy administrator and oversee the heads of the agency’s 10 centers and five mission directorates, NASA said Wednesday.
He rejoined NASA as associate administrator of exploration systems development in 2021 after spending several years in the private sector.
His previous NASA career included roles such as deputy associate administrator for technical in the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate and director of the Glenn Research Center in Ohio.
Catherine Koerner will succeed Free as associate administrator of exploration systems development and assume responsibility for developing the Moon to Mars architecture.
Koerner previously served as program manager for the Orion spacecraft at the Johnson Space Center.
