NASA is planning to establish an organization that will handle commercial cargo and crew mission management as part of the agency’s efforts to restructure its industry engagement strategy, SpaceNews reported Tuesday.
Doug Loverro, associate administrator for human exploration and operations at NASA, said at a recent webinar that the proposed organization will fall under his office and manage commercial efforts including the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space, which handles the national lab portion of the International Space Station.
Loverro noted that Alex MacDonald, chief economist at NASA, will serve as program executive for the organization that will oversee the agency’s activities with CASIS.
The unit’s creation serves as part of NASA’s reorganization strategy for the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, according to the report.
Loverro’s comments come after NASA solicited proposals for low-Earth orbit commercial technologies under the Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships program.
