Essential Insights
Reid Wiseman will become Caltech associate vice president and JPL deputy director.
He brings astronaut, Navy, test-pilot, and high-stakes spaceflight leadership experience.
Artemis II’s crew traveled 695,081 miles, farther than humans had ever traveled.
At JPL, he will oversee operations, missions, planning, and national security programs.
Caltech Names Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman as NASA JPL Deputy
Reid Wiseman, commander of NASA’s Artemis II test flight, has been named Caltech’s associate vice president and deputy director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He will begin the role Nov. 30, 2026, joining the Southern California laboratory that Caltech manages for NASA.
Wiseman’s appointment brings human spaceflight experience into JPL’s leadership at a time when the lab is preparing for its 90th anniversary. JPL develops robotic spacecraft and supports deep-space exploration. Wiseman’s responsibilities will also reach beyond mission design: He will help lead laboratory operations, institutional planning, management and compliance.
From lunar flight to laboratory leadership
During Artemis II, Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen traveled 695,081 miles on a lunar flyby. The crew went farther from Earth than any humans before them, testing systems and procedures for future crewed missions.
“Reid has spent his career at the edge of what is possible,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said. He cited Wiseman’s technical judgment, operational experience and leadership, adding that he expects the former astronaut to keep contributing to NASA from his new position at JPL.
Wiseman joined NASA’s astronaut corps in 2009. In 2014, he spent 165 days aboard the International Space Station as a flight engineer on Expedition 41. Two years later, he commanded NASA’s 21st Extreme Environment Mission Operations expedition, living for eight days in an underwater habitat.
From December 2020 to November 2022, Wiseman served as NASA’s chief astronaut. He led the astronaut corps and oversaw crew readiness and safety for the agency’s human spaceflight missions. Over his NASA career, he also took part in hundreds of scientific experiments.
Before NASA, Wiseman served in the U.S. Navy, flew combat missions and worked as a test pilot. He earned 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.
Operational stewardship at JPL
At JPL, Wiseman will help guide the lab’s strategic direction and improve its operations. As Center Management Authority for mission execution, he will oversee mission-support functions and help ensure they meet NASA requirements and applicable federal and state regulations. He will also serve as JPL’s primary contact for national security programs.
Those duties make the role broader than a scientific or engineering post. JPL’s missions depend on technical expertise, but they also require careful planning, reliable operations and compliance with government rules. Wiseman’s experience leading crews in high-risk settings may inform that work. The demands of running a research laboratory, however, differ from commanding a spacecraft or astronaut team.
JPL Director and Caltech Vice President Dave Gallagher said Wiseman brings experience leading teams through high-stakes missions and will strengthen the lab’s leadership. Caltech President Ray Jayawardhana described the appointment as an opportunity to support the institutions’ next era of exploration.
Wiseman said his view of the Sun disappearing behind the Moon during Artemis II helped inspire him to join the team. “What an awesome time in my career to join this team and to try and push humanity and push our understanding of the solar system and the universe,” he said.
The appointment places Wiseman at the intersection of exploration and institutional management. His task will be to help JPL sustain the practical systems behind ambitious missions while the lab continues its work for NASA and the nation.
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