NASA Associate Administrator Jim Free is retiring on Feb. 22, the conclusion of a lifetime of service to space exploration leadership. Free, who started his tenure in 2023 following Bob Cabana’s retirement, has played an important role in the agency’s human exploration activities, including the Artemis program to go to the Moon.
The agency would not reveal the cause of Free’s departure, nor did he share information on his plans. In a statement, he said he was grateful for his service at NASA and for his work to advance human space exploration. His retirement occurs in the wake of major internal changes, such as possible reductions in the workforce and alterations in leadership organization.
Free was initially expected to be NASA’s interim administrator after Administrator Bill Nelson and Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy left at the end of the Biden administration. Instead, the White House appointed Janet Petro, director of the Kennedy Space Center, to the interim position, a development that reportedly took many in the agency by surprise.
Speculation is that the move might have been made because of Free’s adamant support for the Artemis program, which the new administration is planning to revisit. Before the 2024 election, Free called for consistency in the Artemis mission, cautioning that significant changes would delay U.S. lunar exploration.
Free’s exit also follows NASA’s attempts to find a way through a complex workforce restructuring. The space agency recently had the threat of laying off more than 1,000 probationary civil service workers but was able to stave off immediate mass dismissals. NASA has instead been in cooperation with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) figuring out the status of impacted employees.
A large majority of NASA employees—perhaps as many as 900—have taken a buyout incentive called the Deferred Resignation Program, which guarantees compensation until the end of the fiscal year. Among those taking the buyout are some probationary employees, who will convert to administrative leave by the close of the week.
NASA has been said to have requested an exemption from layoffs for the majority of its probationary workers, although it is still not certain whether they will be given special treatment. The larger federal workforce has experienced probationary worker dismissals from multiple agencies and has elicited legal and political complaints.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) has condemned these dismissals as potentially lacking in legal basis. He expressed support for attempts to restore impacted employees, citing potential federal employment protection violations.
During these changes at NASA, Free’s resignation is a major leadership shift amidst continuing uncertainty regarding the agency’s staff and future space exploration policy.
