NASA has appointed Adam Schlesinger program manager of the agency’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, which facilitates the delivery of science and technology payloads to the lunar surface.
Through the CLPS initiative, NASA collaborates with several American companies to deliver science and technology to the Moon. According to the space agency, these companies handle everything from payload integration to launch and landing.
The indefinite delivery contracts have a combined value of up to $2.6 billion through 2028.
Schlesinger brings to the role over 20 years of experience in NASA’s human spaceflight programs. He began his NASA career as a co-op in the Avionics Systems Division and has since held various roles across the Engineering, Exploration Architecture, Integration, and Science Directorates, each with growing technical leadership responsibilities.
Most recently, Schlesinger served as the lead engineer for the Gateway Program’s Habitation and Logistics Outpost project at Johnson Space Center. Before working on Gateway, he managed the Advanced Exploration Systems Avionics and Software Project, where he led a multi-center team to develop and advance cutting-edge technologies for future NASA exploration missions.
Additionally, Schlesinger played a key role in establishing and leading several important public-private partnerships with commercial providers as part of NASA’s Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships-2 initiative.
“I am honored and tremendously excited to take on this new role as NASA continues to enable a growing lunar economy while leveraging the entrepreneurial innovation of the commercial space industry,” Schlesinger said in a statement.
