WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden is expected to nominate former Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida to lead NASA, settling on a longtime booster of the space program to lead the agency’s return to the moon, according to three people familiar with the decision.

If confirmed by the Senate, Nelson would lead the space agency as it partners with the new crop of private space companies to establish a long-term presence on the lunar surface in preparation for sending astronauts to Mars.

According to a report in The Verge late Thursday, Nelson, who is a former Congressman and three-term Senator from Florida, would succeed former President Donald Trump's NASA chief, Jim Bridenstine.

"I cannot think of anyone better to lead NASA than Bill Nelson. His nomination gives me confidence that the Biden Administration finally understands the importance of the Artemis programme, and the necessity of winning the 21st century space race," Senator Marco Rubio, who was Nelson's Republican colleague from Florida, was quoted as saying. The Artemis III mission will launch the first woman and next man to the Moon in 2024.

NASA has said it will develop a detailed mission operation plan when human landing system capabilities, a landing site, and other architectural details come into sharper focus. The procedures and operations techniques developed for Artemis III will also inform future Artemis missions.

As a member of the Senate Commerce Committee that oversees NASA, Nelson laid into then-nominee Bridenstine during his confirmation hearings, criticizing his record on climate change and stressing that a politician shouldn't run NASA.

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