Nasa human spaceflight chief resigns ahead of launch

Workers pressure wash Nasa's logo on the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Centre in Cape Canaveral, Florida, May 19, 2020. PHOTO: REUTERS

MIAMI (REUTERS) - Nasa's human spaceflight chief Doug Loverro resigned on Tuesday (May 19), according to an internal memo seen by agency employees, capping his brief role at the agency overseeing future astronaut launches and landing humans on the moon by 2024.

"Associate Administrator for Human Exploration and Operations Doug Loverro has resigned from his position effective Monday, May 18," said the memo sent to employees on Tuesday, adding that Ken Bowersox, Nasa's deputy associate administrator, will take Loverro's place until a permanent replacement is found.

The resignation comes just a week before the agency is scheduled to launch two astronauts into space from US soil for the first time since 2011.

A Nasa spokesman declined to comment.

Loverro took the post in October last year to helm Nasa's efforts to return humans to the lunar surface by 2024, a hastened timeline set by the Trump administration in 2019.

The reason for his resignation was not immediately clear.

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.