NASA Names Richard Jones Deputy Program Manager of the Commercial Crew Program

NASA has selected Richard Jones as the deputy program manager of the Commercial Crew Program (CCP) at Johnson Space Center. Jones had been the operations integration manager for CCP since 2021. In that position, he was responsible for the mission management and operational integration of the CCP test flights and post-certification missions.

“I am humbled to have been selected for this new role,” Jones said. “My continued emphasis will remain on our Commercial Crew missions, the safety of our crew members, and ensuring the success of our commercial partners.”

Jones’ career with NASA began in 1988 at Kennedy Space Center in Florida as a co-op student supporting the Space Shuttle Program. He became a permanent hire in 1991, after earning a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from Texas A&M University. Since then, Jones has served in a variety of positions, such as space shuttle orbit and ascent/entry flight director and International Space Station flight director. Other previous roles include lead and ascent/entry flight director for the Boeing CST-100 Starliner test missions and manager of the CCP Mission Management and Integration Office.

“With over 35 years of service at NASA, Richard brings a wealth of experience and leadership to this new role,” said Vanessa Wyche, director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center. “The Commercial Crew Program provides incredible opportunities for discovery and research in low-Earth orbit, and I’m pleased he’ll be responsible for the continuing success of the program.”

“I am very excited for Richard to move into the role of the CCP Deputy Program Manager for Flight Operations and Development,” said Steve Stich, CCP program manager. “Richard was chosen from several exceptional and talented candidates from within the Commercial Crew and Orion Programs. Richard’s leadership will be instrumental as we move forward with the next phase of CCP, including execution of the Boeing Crew Flight Test next year, while continuing to fly our astronauts to the International Space Station on SpaceX crew rotation flights.”

Jones succeeds Ven Feng, who was recently named as NASA’s Exploration Operations Director within the Moons to Mars Program. In his new role, Feng will lead mission and operations integration across the agency’s Exploration programs, tying together the programmatic operations for Gateway, Human Landing System, xEVA and Human Surface Mobility, Orion, SLS (Space Launch System), and Exploration Ground Systems. He will continue to be based at Johnson.

“We wish Ven Feng, our outgoing deputy program manager, well in his new role as the Exploration Operations Director in the Moon to Mars Program,” Stich said. “Ven’s innovation, creativity, and leadership will be especially valuable to the Exploration team as they solidify plans for the initial Artemis-II crewed mission on the path to the first US lunar landings in five decades.”

NASA's CCP has worked with Boeing and SpaceX to facilitate the development of U.S. human spaceflight systems since 2010. The program’s goal is to have safe, reliable, and cost-effective access to and from the International Space Station and foster commercial access to other potential low Earth orbit destinations.

For more information about the CCP, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/commercial-space/commercial-crew-program/