The Senate confirmed entrepreneur Jared Isaacman as NASA administrator on Wednesday, marking one of the last major agency heads to be placed in their positions since the beginning of the second Trump administration.
The Senate voted 67-30 to confirm Isaacman as the agency’s 15th administrator. Before the confirmation vote, the Senate agreed to invoke cloture on the nomination, also 67-30.
Isaacman taking the helm at NASA comes during a critical point in the agency’s history. With the help of Elon Musk’s SpaceX, the agency wants to reestablish a presence on the moon through its Artemis missions in 2026, 2027, 2028, and onward.
There are doubts about whether Artemis can stick to its timeline, and it’s expected to be one of Isaacman’s first challenges as the head of the agency. However, he has signaled confidence in tackling the challenge.
Isaacman appeared before the Senate earlier this month for his second confirmation hearing and acknowledged the astronomical and aeronautical challenges ahead of him.
“After more than a half-century, America is set to launch NASA astronauts around the Moon in just a matter of months, a challenging endeavor to say the least, and one that requires full-time leadership,” Isaacman said.
“We are in a great competition with a rival that has the will and means to challenge American exceptionalism across multiple domains, including in the high ground of space,” he said of China, which is considered the United States’s chief rival in the moon race.
“This is not the time for delay, but for action, because if we fall behind, if we make a mistake, we may never catch up, and the consequences could shift the balance of power here on Earth,” he added.
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President Donald Trump first nominated Isaacman in December 2024 before pulling the nomination in May, reportedly due to Isaacman’s past support for Democrats. After Isaacman pressed Trump to reconsider, the president again nominated Isaacman last month.
Isaacman taking the reins of NASA will lighten the load on Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who had taken acting control of the agency.
“Congratulations to Jared Isaacman on his confirmation as NASA Administrator,” Duffy said on X after the vote. “It’s been an honor to help drive @POTUS’ vision for American leadership in space. I wish Jared success as he begins his tenure and leads NASA as we go back to the Moon in 2028 and beat China.”