NASA has a new administrator. Billionaire and space tourist Jared Isaacman was confirmed by the US Senate by a vote of 67 to 30.
Isaacman’s path to the role was turbulent. Nominated by President Donald Trump in January, the nomination was abruptly cancelled in May after Trump fell out with Elon Musk – Isaacman was a SpaceX customer – and reinstated in November.
He inherits a troubled agency still reeling from a year of budget chaos that threatened major programs, though advocacy and congressional action helped save or restore funding for many missions that looked set for the axe.
Observers have welcomed Isaacman’s arrival. In a statement, the Planetary Society said: “After nearly a year of historic disruptions to the agency’s workforce, facilities, and budget, Mr Isaacman has the opportunity to stabilize and reinvigorate the US space program.
“Congress is on a path to provide Mr Isaacman with a restored budget that better funds national priorities: returning humans to the Moon, maintaining US leadership in space science and exploration, and training the next generation of scientists and aerospace engineers.”
Over the last year, NASA has dealt with rounds of layoffs and resignations, resulting in a considerably reduced workforce and continued uncertainty over what role, if any, its centers around the US would play.
With Isaacman confirmed as NASA’s 15th Administrator, all eyes are on the first moves he makes. A leaked paper he authored, Project Athena, proposed changes for the agency, including a move to “science-as-a-service” by paying commercial vendors for data and increasing private industry involvement. Isaacman has subsequently called the May document “dated”.
His SpaceX connections raise questions: he flew to orbit twice as a paying SpaceX customer, and Musk recommended him before the rift with Trump. Though Isaacman insists his plan “never favored any one vendor,” the optics are notable.
Critical challenges loom for the NASA Administrator. The next Artemis mission (a crewed free-return flight around the Moon) is due to launch as early as February. However meeting NASA’s goal of landing humans on the Moon before China requires difficult decisions. SpaceX’s Starship is behind schedule, and acting Administrator Sean Duffy’s move to reopen the landing contract has yielded few viable alternatives.
As one space industry put it to El Reg: “At last there is a NASA leader, but now we face the question of what direction will he take the space program.” ®
