Who Owns NASA? A Brief History Of The Space Agency | Screen Rant
NASA is widely regarded as one of the most powerful names in space exploration. But here's a good question — who owns NASA and where does all of that power come from? Outer space is a vast, expansive, and never-ending treasure chest of information. Because of that, there are numerous people and organizations dedicated to learning as much about it as possible.
For years, companies like Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman have been some of the most established names in the aerospace community. Those companies are also joined by the likes of SpaceX and Blue Origin, not to mention organizations in other countries (such as the ESA and CNSA).
Among all of those, however, none are as instantly recognizable as NASA. Founded in 1958 and also known as the 'National Aeronautics and Space Administration,' NASA is different from the likes of Boeing and SpaceX in one huge way — it isn't actually owned by any single individual. That's because NASA isn't a private or publicly-owned company. Instead, it's an official agency of the U.S. government. That means it's technically owned by the United States and receives government funding just like the Department of Justice, Department of Education, National Park Service, etc.
Although NASA doesn't have a sole owner, the organization does rely on a 'NASA Administrator' to oversee its operations. The NASA Administrator is the highest-ranking official within NASA and has a few key responsibilities. They're in charge of being NASA's main source of internal leadership, making some of its biggest decisions, and ensuring the organization's meeting all of its goals. The Administrator doesn't own NASA, but they do have a large impact on its operation.
At the time of publication, the current NASA Administrator is former U.S. Senator Bill Nelson. Nelson was sworn in on May 3, 2021, by the Biden-Harris administration. Nelson is the 14th NASA Administrator in the organization's 60+ years of history. Nelson was preceded by Steve Jurczyk, who had a short term between January 20, 2021, and May 3, 2021. Prior to him, Major James Bridenstine was the acting NASA Administrator between April 23, 2018, and January 20, 2021.
And, of course, there are plenty of other people just below the NASA Administrator who also help carry out NASA's vision. There's the Deputy Administrator, Associate Administrator, Chief of Staff, and numerous other roles. None of these people get the bragging rights of owning NASA, but they all play a key role in making sure it runs the way it's supposed to. And that's no small feat at all.
Source: NASA