Janet Petro
Janet Petro made history as the first woman to lead NASA, appointed as acting director by President Donald Trump on January 20. Born in Michigan in 1960, her passion for space was ignited by her father’s work with NASA, leading her to pursue a career in aerospace. After graduating from the United States Military Academy at West Point with a degree in engineering, she served as a helicopter pilot and later transitioned to a managerial role in the private sector. In 2007, she became the deputy director of the Kennedy Space Center and was appointed as its first female director in 2021. Petro's appointment as NASA's acting director marked a significant milestone for women in leadership roles within the space agency.
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Recent news mentions
Janet Petro, who served as acting NASA administrator until July, expressed full confidence that SpaceX will refine Starship’s design and get the vehicle working.
SpaceX Starship megarocket set for next test flight amid long string of explosive failures
United States· 2025-08-23
Janet Petro is a longtime agency employee who resigned from her position.
Start your week smart: NASA’s future, Starvation in Gaza, Stabbing incident, Extreme heat risk, Swimming showdownUnited States· 2025-07-27
Janet Petro is a longtime NASA employee who was replaced by Sean Duffy.
NASA workers rebuke ‘rapid and wasteful changes’ at agencyUnited States· 2025-07-21
Janet Petro was the NASA administrator who spoke about the ongoing cooperation between NASA and Roskosmos.
Ein Handschlag mit Folgen: Amerikaner und Russen im All
Luxembourg· 2025-07-17
Janet Petro is the acting NASA administrator who commented on the cooperation between NASA and Roscosmos.
Axiom-4 launch successful: Shubhanshu Shukla is 1st Indian in space in 40 years; will be first ever at ISS tomorrow | India News
India· 2025-06-25
Janet Petro was appointed as the acting administrator of NASA.
Il dietrofront della Nasa su Isaacman: Trump silura l’amico di Musk. E l’approdo su Marte si allontana
Italy· 2025-06-01
Janet Petro is the acting administrator of NASA who confirmed the budget is designed to support exploration of Mars and the Moon.
La Nasa evalúa aterrizar en Marte en 2026 y llegar mediante el desarrollo de cohetes reutilizables
Colombia· 2025-05-09
Janet Petro is the acting director of NASA who received an open letter from Democratic lawmakers regarding access issues.
فريق إيلون ماسك يثير مشاكل جديدة بالوصول إلى أنظمة ناسا.. اعرف القصة
Egypt· 2025-04-12The Trump administration has not yet released its budget request, and NASA has not revealed the contents of an agency reorganization plan that leadership — including acting NASA Administrator Janet Petro — hashed out alongside DOGE in March.
Jared Isaacman, Trump’s pick to run NASA, faces confirmation hearingUnited States· 2025-04-09
Janet Petro is the acting administrator of NASA who congratulated the successful launch of the Fram2 mission.
Despega Fram2, la primera misión espacial que llevará a humanos a orbitar sobre los polos de la Tierra | Ciencia
Spain· 2025-04-02
Janet Petro is the Acting Administrator of NASA who outlined the agency's response to Trump's orders.
NASA staff calls recent layoffs ‘targeted’ and ‘cruel’ as they brace for more changesUnited States· 2025-03-24Janet Petro is noted as the acting administrator of NASA who communicated the changes in diversity programs to the staff.
ترامب يغير خطط القضاء على العنصرية.. ناسا تتراجع عن إرسال أول امرأة وشخص داكن إلى القمرEgypt· 2025-03-23
Janet Petro expressed excitement about the return of the astronauts after their mission.
Ce indemnizație ar urma să încaseze astronauții blocați în spațiu timp de 9 luni. „Primesc suma aferentă incidentelor”
Romania· 2025-03-21
NASA acting Administrator Janet Petro expressed excitement about the astronauts' return after their mission.
Astronauts rescued by SpaceX: what will they get paid for the ordeal?United States· 2025-03-20
Janet Petro is the acting administrator of NASA who commented on the recent crew's achievements.
Astronautas se recuperan en Texas mientras Boeing analiza su futuro tras fallo de nave
Bolivia· 2025-03-20
Janet Petro expressed excitement about the return of the astronauts after their months-long mission.
Momentul în care astronauții NASA blocați pe Stația Spațială Internațională s-au întors pe Pământ după nouă luniRomania· 2025-03-19Janet Petro is the acting administrator of NASA who highlighted the successful return of the astronauts.
Srečna vrnitev po več mesecih »ujetosti« v vesolju
Slovenia· 2025-03-19
Janet Petro expressed excitement about the return of the Crew-9 astronauts after their vital mission.
O que astronautas ‘presos’ no espaço fizeram durante 9 meses em estação fora da Terra?
Liechtenstein· 2025-03-19Trump said that he recently conferred with Janet Petro, the acting administrator of NASA, who is coordinating the return of NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams.
Trump provides update on pending return of astronauts Butch Wilmore, Suni WilliamsUnited States· 2025-03-18
Janet Petro is the acting head of NASA who communicated about workforce reductions at the agency.
דחיה, פיטורים וטלסקופ חדש: השבוע בחלל
Israel· 2025-03-14
Janet Petro is the acting administrator of NASA who affirmed the significance of the lunar landing achievement.
La nave espacial privada de EE. UU. que se posó con éxito en la Luna
Guatemala· 2025-03-04
Janet Petro stated that Firefly's landing shows that the Moon remains part of the United States' plans to dominate space.
Empresa Firefly pousou pela primeira vez na Lua | Exploração espacial
Portugal· 2025-03-03
Acting NASA administrator Janet Petro said at Firefly’s landing event that the moon remains part of America’s goal to 'dominate' space.
U.S. firm Firefly scores its first moon landing with Blue Ghost spacecraft
Canada· 2025-03-02Acting NASA administrator Janet Petro said at Firefly’s landing event that the moon remains part of America’s goal to 'dominate' space.
US firm Firefly scores its first moon landing with Blue Ghost spacecraft
Guyana· 2025-03-02Janet Petro is the CEO of Firefly who commented on the successful landing.
Jutarnji list - Firefly po prvi puta s letjelicom Blue Ghost sletio na Mjesec, objavljene i fotografije
Croatia· 2025-03-02Janet Petro is currently leading NASA and has previously served as the director of the Kennedy Space Center.
Mond oder Mars: Wohin führt Trumps Raumfahrtpolitik?
Switzerland· 2025-03-01
Janet Petro was chosen by President Trump to lead NASA until a new administrator is confirmed by Congress.
Giám đốc điều hành NASA nghỉ hưu trong làn sóng sa thải
Vietnam· 2025-02-22
Janet Petro is the acting NASA Administrator.
House Democrats raise ‘deep alarm’ over potential DOGE conflict of interest at NASAUnited States· 2025-02-21
Janet Petro is the acting administrator of NASA and has emphasized the importance of returning to the Moon.
Trump pone en pausa la NASA: el equipo de Elon Musk planea recortes y amenaza las misiones a la Luna | CienciaSpain· 2025-02-21
Janet Petro, who was the director of NASA's Kennedy Space Center, was appointed as Jim Free's replacement.
Saída de funcionários da NASA lança incerteza sobre o regresso à Lua dos EUA | EspaçoPortugal· 2025-02-20