Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman Appointed Caltech VP and NASA JPL Deputy Director

Artemis II Commander and retired U.S. Navy captain Reid Wiseman has been named Caltech associate vice president and deputy director of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), with his role scheduled to begin on November 30, 2026.

According to announcements from NASA and Caltech, Wiseman will step into his new position as an emeritus astronaut. JPL operates as NASA's center of excellence for robotics and deep space exploration and is managed for the agency by Caltech.

Leadership and Operational Responsibilities

In his upcoming dual capacity, Wiseman's reported responsibilities will include:

• Serving as Center Management Authority for JPL mission execution.
• Overseeing the strategic leadership, stewardship, and continuous improvement of laboratory operations.
• Partnering with Caltech on institutional planning, management, and compliance.
• Acting as JPL's primary interface for national security programs.

Background and Career Highlights

Wiseman's career includes notable milestones within human spaceflight and military aviation:

• Artemis II Test Flight: Served as commander alongside Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen on a lunar flyby.
• Expedition 41: Flew as a flight engineer aboard the International Space Station for 165 days in 2014.
• NEEMO 21: Commanded an eight-day underwater habitat mission in 2016.
• Chief Astronaut: Led NASA's astronaut corps from December 2020 to November 2022.
• Military Service: Flew combat missions and served as a test pilot following his education at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Johns Hopkins University.

Verification and Next Steps

Officials including NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, JPL Director Dave Gallagher, and Caltech President Ray Jayawardhana welcomed the appointment. Readers can verify official institutional announcements and updates directly through NASA's official newsroom and the Caltech or JPL media portals. No firsthand reporting is claimed, and interested parties should consult primary agency releases for further developments.