KENNEDY SPACE CENTER — On Wednesday morning, the majority members of the Senate Commerce Committee voted in favor of having President Donald Trump’s nominee Jared Isaacman as NASA’s new administrator.
What You Need To Know
- Out of the 28 committee members, 19 voted yes and nine voted no
- The next step is that the U.S. Senate must vote to make it official
- The committee held a hearing for Jared Isaacman earlier this month
- Isaacman is a tech billionaire and is a commercial space astronaut
- He said during the hearing that he did not see why NASA could not develop crewed moon and Mars missions at the same time
The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation confirmed that the 42-year-old tech entrepreneur and commercial astronaut as the new administrator for America’s space agency.
Out of the 28 committee members, 19 voted yes and nine voted no.
The next step is that the full U.S. Senate must vote to make it official to have Isaacman as the new NASA administrator.
"As the President stated, we will prioritize sending American astronauts to Mars. Along the way, we will inevitably have the capabilities to return to the Moon ...""As the President stated, we will prioritize sending American astronauts to Mars. Along the way, we will inevitably have the capabilities to return to the Moon ..."
Before they voted, committee chairman U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) highlighted and recapped the nomination meeting a few weeks ago.
“Mr. Isaacman is a successful entrepreneur with a bold boundary pushing vision for space exploration. As we heard during at his nomination hearing earlier this month, quote, ‘NASA was built to do the near impossible.’ I agree. But NASA’s plans for space must remind grounded in reality and align with our strategic interests,” said Cruz.
The chairman continued that it is important that the U.S. return Americans to the moon.
Earlier this month, the committee held a hearing on Isaacman. During the hearing, the billionaire businessman assured the committee that he will not give up on NASA’s Artemis moon mission and wants to see America beat China by landing on the moon.
The billionaire businessman also assured the committee that he will not give up on NASA’s Artemis moon mission and wants to see America beat China by landing on the moon.
The Communist country plans to land its astronauts on the moon by 2030. NASA’s Artemis III mission is expected to send Americans to Earth’s lunar sister in 2027.
Isaacman also said during the hearing that he did not see why NASA could not develop crewed moon and Mars missions at the same time.
"As the President stated, we will prioritize sending American astronauts to Mars. Along the way, we will inevitably have the capabilities to return to the Moon and determine the scientific, economic, and 3 national security benefits of maintaining a presence on the lunar surface. We will focus our technology development efforts on the world’s greatest engineering challenges, such as the practical application of nuclear propulsion, so that we can truly unlock humankind’s ability to explore among the stars," he said during the hearing.
He also stated that under him, NASA “will ignite a thriving” low-Earth orbit space economy.
Additionally, Isaacman also wants to push NASA to increase its discoveries of the cosmos.
“We will launch more telescopes, more probes, more rovers and endeavor to better understand our planet and the universe beyond,” he said.
The president officially nominated Isaacman earlier this year, but announced his decision in early December.
A bit about Isaacman
If he is confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Isaacman will not just be the 15th administrator of the U.S. space agency, but he will also be the youngest person to head it.
He has funded and lead two missions into space: the Inspiration4 mission in 2021, which was the first all citizen space flight, and the 2024 Polaris Dawn mission, where he became the first private citizen to do a spacewalk. Fellow crewmember Sarah Gillis became the second private citizen shortly after him.
The two missions helped raise funds for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
It was during the Polaris Dawn mission that both he and his three crewmembers put SpaceX’s spacesuit, extravehicular activity (EVA), in its first real test in the vacuum of space.
He founded the payment processing company, Shift4, when he was only 16 years old, which he still runs.
If confirmed, Isaacman will replace Bill Nelson, a former Democratic senator from Florida and NASA astronaut who was nominated by former President Joe Biden in 2021 and served in the role until January 2025.
Under Nelson, NASA saw historical missions such as: the launch of moon rocket Artemis I, the development of the famed James Webb Space Telescope and the asteroid-smashing DART mission.
The current NASA Acting Administrator Janet Petro is filling in until someone permanent comes along, in this case, Isaacman.
A broad group of political leaders from both sides of the aisle have endorsed Isaacman, from Cruz to various governors — including Florida's Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis — to U.S. Rep. George Whitesides (D-Calif.).
Even Trump's former NASA administrator from his first term, Jim Bridenstine, stated he would be "amazing" for the job.
“I think Jared Isaacman is going to be an amazing NASA Administrator. I think he’s got all the tools to be what could be the most consequential NASA Administrator given the era in which we live now,” he said in a NASA press release that showed a list of people and groups who support Isaacman for the position.
Anthony Leone - Digital Media Producer
Anthony has a long career as an editor and reporter for newspapers and news websites. He has covered general and breaking news, crime, and politics. In addition, he also covers space and rocket launches, where he has won awards for this coverage.
