Janet Petro is retiring as director of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Petro joined NASA in 2007 and rose through the ranks to lead the agency's primary launch facility on Florida's Space Coast. She previously held military and industry positions before her NASA career.
The Kennedy Space Center serves as mission control and launch operations hub for crewed and uncrewed missions. The facility has supported launches from the Space Shuttle program through current operations involving SpaceX's Falcon 9 rockets and NASA's Space Launch System. Petro's tenure oversaw a period of significant activity at the center, including preparations for Artemis lunar missions and increased commercial spaceflight operations.
NASA will name a successor to lead the center, which employs thousands of civil servants and contractors. The retirement marks a leadership transition at one of the most consequential facilities in the American space program.