President Donald Trump is renominating Jared Isaacman to lead NASA, SpaceNews reports (open copy). This comes five months after Trump suddenly pulled back Isaacman's first nomination. Isaacman is a billionaire businessman and private astronaut. Trump praised Isaacman's love for space, his flights as an astronaut, and his drive to explore the universe and grow the space economy - businesses related to space activities.
The original nomination happened in December 2024, but it was withdrawn in May after clearing a Senate committee. The withdrawal was tied to a disagreement between Trump and Elon Musk. Trump mentioned a review of Isaacman's past donations to both Democratic and Republican politicians as the reason, though those were public knowledge. No replacement was named, and the agency ran without a permanent leader.
A shift in leadership
In July, Sean Duffy, the transportation secretary who oversees roads and travel, became acting administrator, a temporary role to manage NASA. This was unusual, as it's the first time a cabinet member, or high-level government official, held the job temporarily. Isaacman stayed positive about the administration, blaming the withdrawal on internal White House conflicts linked to Musk.
By October, talks of renominating Isaacman grew after he met with Trump. Some in the White House were unhappy with Duffy's long-term interest in the role. In his announcement, Trump thanked Duffy for strong work, including progress on returning to the Moon ahead of China for security and pride reasons. Duffy congratulated Isaacman and promised a smooth handover.
The news drew positive reactions from space leaders and companies. The Commercial Space Federation, a group supporting private space firms, sent a letter to the Senate Commerce Committee backing Isaacman for his business and space experience. Isaacman expressed thanks for the support and vowed to meet expectations. The Senate process could take months, and it's unclear if Duffy stays acting administrator meanwhile. This renomination highlights ongoing changes in NASA's direction toward more private partnerships and bold goals.