NASA Human Spaceflight Chief Resigns A Week Before Historic Demo-2 Launch

NASA's chief of human spaceflight resigned from his post days before the agency’s historic launch. In a letter, the former NASA official noted his resignation was due to a mistake he made.

On May 19, NASA Spaceflight announced Associate Administrator Doug Loverro of the Human Exploration and Operations (HEO) Mission Directorate has resigned from his post. His resignation came just two days before the Flight Readiness Review for the Demo-2 mission and about a week before the launch itself.

In a letter to the HEO Directorate, Loverro noted his resignation was due to a "risk" he had to take as a leader.

"The risks we take, whether technical, political, or personal, all have potential consequences if we judge them incorrectly," Loverro wrote in the letter obtained by POLITICO. "I took such a risk earlier in the year because I judged it necessary to fulfill our mission. Now, over the balance of time, it is clear that I made a mistake in that choice for which I alone must bear the consequences."

The exact nature of the "risk" was not stated in the letter and neither was it clear how it led to his decision to resign.

According to POLITICO, Loverro's resignation prompted concerns among lawmakers, especially since it came just days before a significant mission. Rep. Kendra Horn and Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson expressed their concerns over the timing of the resignation, with Horn noting the "pattern" of sudden departures in the agency. Both are looking for clarifications on the matter.

Demo-2 is NASA's first human spaceflight from the United States after nearly a decade since the space shuttle program was retired in 2011. So far, it is unclear whether Loverro's resignation will impact the Demo-2 mission launch May 27.

He will be replaced by Ken Bowersox, who has held multiple positions in the agency, was a captain in the U.S. Navy, and has served as a crew member in five spaceflights, spending a total of 211 days in space.

Bowersox has also served as the vice president of Astronaut Safety and Mission Assurance at SpaceX and was the deputy associate administrator of the HEO directorate before replacing Loverro.