NASA Kennedy Space Center Director Janet Petro Retires After Distinguished Career

NASA has announced that Janet Petro, the director of the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, has retired. Effective this Friday, Kelvin Manning has assumed the role of acting center director. Petro, who joined the agency in 2007, served as the centre's 11th director and previously held the position of acting administrator from January to July 2025.

Petro's tenure at the Kennedy Space Center has been marked by significant structural changes. During her time as deputy director, she led cross-agency initiatives with the Federal Aviation Administration and the U.S. Air Force to streamline processes for commercial space operations. These efforts were designed to increase government efficiency and limit redundancy while supporting the transition of the centre into a premier multi-user spaceport.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman praised Petro's leadership in reshaping the centre and noted her central role in guiding the agency through major transitions. He highlighted her ability to embrace challenges and push boundaries to deliver missions that enable NASA to lead into a new era of space exploration. Isaacman described her as a profoundly influential leader who has served the agency and the centre throughout some of its most significant historical moments.

Petro's professional background extends well beyond her time at NASA. She began her career as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army after graduating in 1981 from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. She was part of the second class of West Point graduates to include women, holding a bachelor of science degree in engineering. Before joining the space agency, she also held management positions at Science Applications International Corporation and McDonnell Douglas Aerospace Corporation.

Her contributions to the field have been recognised with numerous awards, including the President's Distinguished Executive Award and the Silver Snoopy Award for outstanding performance contributing to flight safety. In 2018, she was inducted into the Florida Women's Hall of Fame by Governor Rick Scott. Additionally, she helped lead a senior management team awarded the 2019 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Sammies Management Excellence Medal.

Kelvin Manning, who previously served as deputy center director, brings more than 32 years of leadership and technical expertise to the interim role. Petro manages a team of civil service and contractor employees, determining and implementing center policy and executing the spaceport's missions and agency program responsibilities. Her departure marks the end of a long chapter in the management of the Florida facility.