Elon Musk’s SpaceX has hired Kathy Lueders, the former human spaceflight chief at NASA, to assist in the development of the company’s ambitious moon and Mars rocket project called Starship. Lueders retired from NASA a few weeks ago and has now joined SpaceX as the commercial space company gears up to construct a spacecraft that could potentially carry NASA astronauts to the moon.
Having served at NASA for 31 years, Lueders played a pivotal role in the agency’s selection process in 2021, choosing SpaceX’s Starship rocket for a significant $3 billion Artemis contract aimed at returning U.S. astronauts to the moon for the first time since 1972. Under subsequent contract programs, other commercial space companies will also be considered for moon lander projects.
The Starship rocket, a 16-story-tall prototype of a heavy-lift launch vehicle, is being developed by Elon Musk’s private space company with the aim of facilitating human space exploration and transporting up to 100 tons of cargo on future missions to the moon and Mars.
Lueders is regarded as a trailblazer in championing the use of commercial space companies as a cost-effective approach. This involves NASA funding the construction of private spacecraft and procuring rides for its scientists as a service, rather than owning and managing the spacecraft itself.
During her tenure at NASA, Lueders also oversaw the development of SpaceX’s Dragon crew vehicle, which has become instrumental in transporting cargo and astronauts to and from the International Space Station (ISS). Her expertise and experience will undoubtedly contribute to the advancement of SpaceX’s Starship project.
Interestingly, Lueders will reunite with her former NASA colleague, Bill Gerstenmaier, at SpaceX. Gerstenmaier retired from NASA in 2020 after serving as the agency’s human spaceflight chief and has since joined SpaceX to work in a similar role within the Starship program.
With the addition of Lueders to the SpaceX team, the company gains a wealth of knowledge and expertise in human spaceflight operations, further bolstering its pursuit of ambitious space exploration goals.
