China News Service reported on May 20th that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced on the 19th that Douglas Loverro, the head of the agency ’s manned space mission, has resigned. This move surprised the industry, and in just over a week, the United States will send two astronauts into space to perform the first manned space mission in the United States since 2011.
Data Map: On December 5, 2019, the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket equipped with the "Dragon" spacecraft was launched into the air at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Base, Florida.
According to reports, on May 27 local time, NASA will send two astronauts to board SpaceX's "Dragon" spacecraft to the International Space Station. This is the first time NASA has canceled its space shuttle program in 2011, using domestically produced rockets to send astronauts to the space station from home.
Rovero was expected to host NASA's flight preparation review on the 21st. This was an important "staff" meeting, double-checking the preparations, and approving astronauts Robert Benken and Douglas Hurley to board the "Dragon" spacecraft.
Rovero took over the NASA manned spaceflight project in October 2019. NASA said Loverov "has made significant progress" during his tenure and brought the agency closer to the goal of "sending the first woman and the second man to the moon in 2024."
As for the reason for leaving, Lovero wrote in a letter: "If we make a wrong judgment, the risks we bear, whether technical, political or personal, will have potential consequences." He said: "This year Earlier, I took a risk because I thought it was necessary to complete our mission. It now appears that I made a clear mistake in making this choice and I must bear the consequences alone. "
He did not point out the nature of his "error", and NASA did not provide more information in the notice to employees.
Before finding a successor, Lovero's deputy Kenneth Bowesox was appointed as the acting head.