NASA Administrator names new Marshall Space Flight Center Director
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — The Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) officially has a new director, and its a very familiar face.
Joseph Pelfrey, who’s been serving as acting center director since July 2023, was named MSFC director by NASA Administrator Bill Nelson on Monday.
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“Joseph is a respected leader who shares the passion for innovation and exploration at NASA Marshall. As center director, he will lead the entire Marshall workforce, which includes a world-renowned team of scientists, engineers, and technologists who have a hand in nearly every NASA mission,” Nelson said. “I am confident that under Joseph’s leadership, Marshall will continue to make critical advancements supporting Artemis and Moon to Mars that will benefit all humanity.”
MSFC is one of NASA’s largest field centers, and manages the agency’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, where some of the largest elements of the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft for Artemis are manufactured.
Pelfrey leads the center’s workforce, which consists of nearly 7,000 civil service and contractor employees, and oversees the annual budget of around $5 billion for human spaceflight, science, and technology development efforts.
Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle released the following statement, congratulating Pelfrey on the appointment.
“I’m thrilled to learn that Joseph Pelfrey has been named the Director of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. During Pelfrey’s time as acting center director, Marshall hasn’t missed a beat. He was a hometown candidate, and I’m grateful he will be staying and leading in the Rocket City for years to come. With Pelfrey at the helm, I know Marshall Space Flight Center will continue to exceed NASA’s needs. I wish Pelfrey success as he soars into the future with Marshall.”
Mayor Tommy Battle
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Pelfrey graduated from Auburn University with a bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering in 2000. He joined Marshall full-time in 2004 as an aerospace engineer in the Science and Mission Systems Office.
Since then, he’s served in a number of leadership roles within the International Space Station Program, the Marshall Engineering Directorate and the SLS Spacecraft/Payload Integration and Evolution Office.
He was appointed to the senior executive service in 2016, serving as the associate director for operations in Engineering, and later deputy manager then manager for Marshall’s Human Exploration Development and Operations Office.
He was appointed as Marshall’s deputy center director in April 2022, before being named acting center director in July 2023.
To read more about Pelfrey and his history at MSFC, you can click here.
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