ScienceSpaceJared Isaacman is NASA's new leaderHe said in April that he wants a "new Golden Age of science and discovery."Will ShanklinContributing ReporterWed, December 17, 2025 at 10:08 PM UTCNASA has a leader again.On Wednesday, the US Senate confirmed Jared Isaacman as the agency's administrator, with a 67-30 vote.The billionaire entrepreneur (and Elon Musk ally) will have his hands full navigating political waters while managing a severely downsized workforce.You might recall that this wasn't Isaacman's first shot at the job.
He was nominated to the post earlier this year.But days before he was scheduled for a confirmation vote, President Donald Trump withdrew his nomination.The reversal reportedly came after the president was told that Isaacman had donated to prominent Democrats.(Trump’s description of his decision, as based on a "thorough review of prior associations," seemed to lend weight to that.) However, that was also around the time the Trump-Musk feud was about to boil over.
Regardless, Isaacman was nominated again in November.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe new NASA head reportedly has broad support from the space community.(That makes him something of an aberration among Trump appointees in scientific fields.) "I am optimistic that Mr.Isaacman will bring a steady hand and clear vision to NASA," Sen.
Marie Cantwell (D-WA) told .The new administrator has traveled to space twice on private missions.In a document published in May, Isaacman shared his three objectives for NASA.These included human missions to the Moon, Mars and deep space; helping the organization do more with a constrained budget; and cost-cutting through industry and academic partnerships.
