CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The U.S. Senate has confirmed tech billionaire and private SpaceX astronaut Jared Isaacman as the next Administrator of NASA. The vote passed Thursday afternoon, with 67 senators voting in favor and 30 opposed, officially approving his nomination.
Isaacman, a commercial spaceflight commander, now takes the helm of the nation’s space agency at a pivotal moment. NASA is preparing for its first crewed mission around the Moon in more than 50 years — Artemis II, a 10-day flight that will orbit the Moon and set the stage for future lunar landings.
Earlier this month, Isaacman appeared before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation for a second confirmation hearing. He was renominated by President Donald Trump in November, after his initial nomination was withdrawn in May amid a high-profile rift between the president and SpaceX founder Elon Musk.
Florida Tech professor Dr. Don Platt says Isaacman is coming to the agency at a pivotal moment. “He’s certainly an entrepreneur and someone who can hopefully manage budgets but also speak for NASA in terms of what the agency needs right now to maintain the competitive advantage of the United States in space,” Platt said.
Platt added that Isaacman has emphasized maintaining U.S. leadership as global competition in space intensifies.
Isaacman will provide full-time leadership as NASA’s agency toward its next chapter of human exploration beyond low Earth orbit.
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