Michael Coats, director of U.S. space agency NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, announced his plan to retire on Friday, local media reported.

Veteran astronaut Ellen Ochoa, who has served as Johnson Space Center's deputy director since September 2007, will succeed Coats as Johnson Space Center director when Coats retires at the end of the year, according to TV channel ABC13.

"Ellen's enthusiasm, experience and leadership, including her superb job as deputy director, make her a terrific successor to Mike as director of JSC," NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said while announcing the replacement.

Ochoa became the first Hispanic woman to go to space when she served on a nine-day mission aboard the space shuttle Discovery in 1993. She has flown in space four times, logging nearly 1,000 hours in orbit. Prior to her astronaut career, she was a research engineer and inventor, with three patents for optical systems, according to the report.

Coats, also a former astronaut, became the 10th director of Johnson Space Center in November 2005. A retired U.S. Navy captain, he has a 44-year career that includes 20 years with NASA, including seven as center director.

Also on Friday, Bolden announced the leadership change for the agency's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. James Free will succeed Ramon Lugo as Glenn's center director when Lugo retires in January. Free has served as Glenn's deputy director since January 2011.