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Orion spacecraft in the foreground and the Moon and Earth in the background on Flight Day 13 of the Artemis I mission. Orion reached its maximum distance from Earth during the Artemis I mission when it was 268,563 miles away from our home planet.

Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate

The Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate defines and manages systems development for programs critical to NASA’s Artemis program and planning for NASA’s Moon to Mars exploration approach. ESDMD manages the human exploration system development for lunar orbital, lunar surface, and Mars exploration. 

NASA has established the Moon to Mars Program Office within ESDMD to focus on hardware development, mission integration, and risk management functions for programs critical to the agency’s exploration approach. Artemis missions will open a new era of scientific discovery and economic opportunity at the Moon while validating operations and systems and to prepare for human missions to Mars. The Moon to Mars Program Office oversees development of the Space Launch System rocketOrion spacecraft, supporting ground systemshuman landing systemsspacesuitsGateway, and more related to deep space exploration. The new office will also lead planning and analysis for long-lead developments to support Mars missions.

ESDMD Leadership

Meet the leaders who are guiding NASA's return to the Moon through Artemis, and the future of human exploration at Mars.

Dr. Lori Glaze is the Acting Deputy Associate Administrator for NASA’s Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate (ESDMD).

Lori Glaze

Acting Associate Administrator for Exploration Systems Development

Ned Penley, Deputy Associate Administrator for Management

Ned Penley

Deputy Associate Administrator for Management

Official NASA portrait of John McCullough, Deputy Associate Administrator for Integration in the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate.

John A. McCullough

Deputy Associate Administrator for Integration

Moon to Mars Program Office

Portrait of Amit Kshatriya, who is deputy associate administrator for the Moon to Mars Program Office in NASA's Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate.

Amit Kshatriya

Deputy Associate Administrator, Moon to Mars Program Office

Official NASA portrait of Lakiesha Hawkins, Assistant Deputy Associate Administrator, Moon to Mars Program Office.

Lakiesha Hawkins

Assistant Deputy Associate Administrator, Moon to Mars Program Office

Official NASA portrait of Stephen Creech, Assistant Deputy Associate Administrator for Technical, Moon to Mars Program Office

Steve Creech

Assistant Deputy Associate Administrator for Technical, Moon to Mars Program Office

Strategy and Architecture Office

Nujoud Merancy

Nujoud Merancy

Deputy Associate Administrator, Strategy and Architecture Office

ESDMD Programs

Explore the programs developing the hardware and systems to send humans to the Moon and Mars

Space Launch System (SLS)

Orion Spacecraft

Exploration Ground Systems Overview

Extravehicular Activity and Human Surface Mobility

Gateway Space Station News

Human Landing System

NASA astronaut Mike Hopkins in a spacesuit outside of the International Space Station during a spacewalk.

Humans in Space

Learn more about NASA's work in low Earth orbit and future plans for human missions to the Moon and Mars.

Latest News

Stay up-to-date with the latest on humanity's return to the Moon under Artemis and our future plans to explore Mars.

NASA’s Lunar Drill Technology Passes Tests on the Moon
5 min read

Editor’s note: This article was updated on April 29, 2025, to correct the amount of data collected during Intuitive Machines’…

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Lunar Space Station Module for NASA’s Artemis Campaign to Begin Final Outfitting
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NASA continues to mark progress on plans to work with commercial and international partners as part of the Gateway program.…

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NASA Marshall Fires Up Hybrid Rocket Motor to Prep for Moon Landings
4 min read

NASA’s Artemis campaign will use human landing systems, provided by SpaceX and Blue Origin, to safely transport crew to and…

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NASA Tests Key Spacesuit Parts Inside This Icy Chamber
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A JPL facility built to support potential robotic spacecraft missions to frozen ocean worlds helps engineers develop safety tests for…

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Michael Ciancone Builds a Lasting Legacy in Human Spaceflight 
3 min read

When Michael Ciancone joined NASA in 1983, he could hardly imagine what his 40-plus-year career would entail. From honoring and…

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Can Solar Wind Make Water on Moon? NASA Experiment Shows Maybe 
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Scientists have hypothesized since the 1960s that the Sun is a source of ingredients that form water on the Moon.…

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