Jordan P. Evans

Jordan P. Evans serves as deputy director for flight projects at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, overseeing the development of Earth-orbiting and deep space missions. Previously, Evans led the Europa Clipper mission as project manager, guiding the team through design, development, launch, and early operations of this flagship effort to explore Jupiter's ocean moon with advanced scientific instruments. His work on this NASA Class-A planetary mission, the largest planetary spacecraft in agency history, demonstrates expertise in managing complex technical, cost, and schedule challenges on multibillion-dollar projects.

Evans has a track record across major space science and engineering initiatives, including the Hubble Space Telescope's Wide Field Camera-3, the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer, the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna, and the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover. For his role on Curiosity, Evans received the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal, the AIAA Award for Excellence, and the Robert J. Collier Trophy. He has also earned 10 NASA Achievement Awards for contributions to robotic systems and planetary exploration.

As an executive manager at Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Evans has directed engineering and science efforts on projects such as the Perseverance rover and Ingenuity Mars Helicopter. He is regularly called upon to resolve mission-critical issues, drawing on technical knowledge and leadership skills. Evans participates in public engagements, including TEDx talks and media appearances, sharing insights from Europa Clipper and other missions, and communicates the challenges and achievements of space exploration to broad audiences.