Senate Confirms Jared Isaacman as NASA Administrator

The U.S. Senate confirmed Jared Isaacman to lead NASA on Wednesday, ending 11 months of turmoil at the agency; the vote was 67 to 30, the Times reported. Isaacman, a billionaire entrepreneur who has flown to orbit twice on private missions, wrote a May plan called “Project Athena Strategic Plan” that called for focusing on human exploration of the moon, Mars and deep space, unlocking a larger space economy and becoming a “force multiplier” for science through partnerships with commercial firms and academia.

He wrote, “NASA will return to focusing on achieving the near impossible — doing what no other agency, organization or company is capable of doing.” Support for his nomination came from parts of the space community; Todd Harrison of the American Enterprise Institute said, “I think that puts NASA back on a good track,” and Senator Maria Cantwell, Democrat of Washington, said she was “optimistic that Mr.

Isaacman will bring a steady hand and clear vision to NASA.” The confirmation followed a disrupted process: President Trump withdrew the nomination in June and renominated Isaacman in November. Isaacman takes charge as NASA faces staff reductions of nearly 4,000 employees — about a fifth of the workforce — and rising global competition, with China pledging to land astronauts on the moon by 2030.

Key Topics

Science, Jared Isaacman, Nasa, Project Athena, U.s. Senate, Artemis Iii