Caltech named former NASA astronaut and Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman as associate vice president and deputy director of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. The emeritus astronaut and retired U.S. Navy captain will begin Nov. 30, 2026, at JPL and at Caltech, which manages the laboratory for NASA, according to the announcement.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said Wiseman has the technical judgment, operational experience, and leadership to help advance JPL’s work. “I am excited to see what he and the JPL team accomplish in the years to come,” Isaacman said.
Wiseman will be responsible for strategic leadership, stewardship, and continuous improvement of laboratory operations, including close partnership with Caltech on institutional planning, management, and compliance. Serving as Center Management Authority for JPL mission execution, he will ensure operational excellence across mission support functions in line with NASA requirements and federal and state regulations. He also will be JPL’s primary interface for national security programs, NASA said.
During the Artemis II test flight, NASA said Wiseman and crewmates Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen journeyed 695,081 miles on a lunar flyby that took them farther than any humans have ever traveled before. JPL Director and Caltech Vice President Dave Gallagher said Wiseman adds strength to the lab’s leadership team as it builds on its legacy and shapes its future. Caltech President Ray Jayawardhana said Wiseman’s “pioneering spirit coupled with unbounded curiosity” makes him a strong fit for JPL and Caltech.
Wiseman joined NASA’s astronaut corps in 2009. He served as a flight engineer for 165 days on the International Space Station during Expedition 41 in 2014. He also commanded NASA’s 21st Extreme Environment Mission Operations expedition, living eight days in an underwater habitat in 2016.
From December 2020 to November 2022, Wiseman served as NASA’s chief astronaut, leading the astronaut corps and overseeing crew flight readiness and crew safety for all NASA human spaceflight missions. NASA said he has conducted hundreds of scientific experiments during his service. He holds 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.
Wiseman noted the transition comes after deep-space experience with Artemis II. “What an awesome time in my career to join this team,” Wiseman said.
NASA said JPL is the agency’s only federally funded research and development center. The lab is approaching its 90th anniversary since being founded by Caltech.