LONG BEACH, Calif. — U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Larry James will become the next deputy director of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in August, succeeding retiring deputy director Eugene Tattini.
Speaking at the Space Tech Expo in Long Beach, Calif., on May 22, Tattini said he would be retiring after 12 years as deputy director of the Pasadena, Calif.-based NASA center, and would be replaced “in the August timeframe” by James, who will retire from the Air Force prior to taking the position.
James is currently the deputy chief of staff for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance at Air Force headquarters in Washington. He is scheduled to retire from the Air Force Aug. 1, according to his official biography on the Air Force website. James has extensive experience in space systems, previously serving as commander of the 14th Air Force at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California and vice commander of the Space and Missile Systems Center in Los Angeles.
