New Delhi: US President Donald Trump has nominated billionaire astronaut Jared Isaacman as the Administrator of NASA. Trump first tapped Isaacman as the next NASA Administrator in December 2024, a move that was wholeheartedly supported by Elon Musk. Despite support from the senate, Isaacman’s nomination was withdrawn by Trump following the feud with Elon Musk a week before the senate vote, after which Sean Duffy was announced as the ‘Interim Administrator‘ of NASA, a role made up by Trump. Duffy, like Isaacman promised to beat China in the race to the Moon, and pushed for establishing nuclear power on the Moon, in an attempt to restore the glory of the agency to the Apollo era.
Now, in a post on Truth Social, Trump said, “Sean Duffy has done an incredible job as Interim Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). This evening, I am pleased to nominate Jared Isaacman, an accomplished business leader, philanthropist, pilot, and astronaut, as Administrator of NASA. Jared’s passion for Space, astronaut experience, and dedication to pushing the boundaries of exploration, unlocking the mysteries of the universe, and advancing the new Space economy, make him ideally suited to lead NASA into a bold new Era. Congratulations to Jared, his wife Monica, and their children, Mila and Liv. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DJT.”
NASA has an uncertain future and is haemorrhaging talent
Duffy attempted to fold NASA into the department of transportation. NASA is facing a skinny budget from Trump, with an exodus of talent from the agency who are in high demand in the robotics, automotive and aerospace sectors, apart from private spaceflight companies. Senior staff with deep knowledge of the ongoing programmes and operations left from major NASA centres including Kennedy and Johnson. JPL put up a sign offering operational satellites on sale for cheap. Isaacman’s nomination is at a time when the agency faces an uncertain future. There has been no official update from NASA for over a month because of the ongoing US Government shutdown.