Billionaire entrepreneur Jared Isaacman is confirmed as new NASA chief

MarioNawfal

cspan

New York Post

Who is Jared Isaacman? NJ high school dropout-turned-tech billionaire to conduct first private spacewalk in history

Jared Isaacman confirmed as NASA chief after monthslong tug-of-war

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Truth Social

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w_terrence

TechCrunch

Jared Isaacman confirmed as next head of NASA

Atlantic

Elon Musk Gets His Mini-Me at NASA

420GHz

Breitbart

Isaacman Becomes Youngest NASA Administrator as Senate Confirms

Newsmax

Trump, Musk Ally Isaacman Takes Helm at NASA

SPACE.COM

US Senate confirms Jared Isaacman as new NASA administrator

SpaceNews

Senate confirms Isaacman as NASA administrator

Zoe Lofgren

Sean Duffy

Mark Clampin

Eric Nost

Jennifer Koss

Jeff Morisette

George Whitesides

US Senate Committee on Appropriations

Hampton Global Business Review

Mark Elrich

The Planetary Society

Northeastern University

"We're not shutting anything down at this point."

"NASA will pursue Earth science missions that will produce valuable data on natural hazards, groundwater, and environmental phenomena that support various industries and stakeholders."

"GISS [the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies] as an independent entity will not continue."

"Proposed FY 2026 cuts could end support for nearly 40 active and planned NASA science missions — many of them Earth-focused."

President Donald Trump's budget request to Congress would "wipe out years of research that helps us understand greenhouse gas emissions, plant health, and the forces that are driving climate change."

"This [the Trump administration's move to cut funding] would impact any number of exciting missions, including missions to Venus, next-generation space telescopes, Earth observation satellites, and projects intended to understand the Sun."

"It [the proposed budget cut] would also stunt NASA's ability to study our own planet: Earth science funding would drop by 53%."

Will Budget Cuts Force NASA To Scale Back Earth Science Missions?

Elon Musk

Barack Obama

Dave Spencer

Jim Bridenstine

Robert Zubrin

Steve Milloy

Interesting Engineering

Jim Reuter

Truthful

Seth Abramson

IgMin Research

Peter Hague

Amanda Stockton

James Wray

Buzz Aldrin

Mariel Borowitz

"That there will not be a manned flight to Mars in 2028, nor in 2031, and probably not for twenty years after that."

"I'd say that [2040] is an audacious goal for us to meet."

"I’m thinking somewhere between 2040 and 2050."

"Humans are unlikely to step foot on Mars until the 2040s/2050s at the earliest, and there’ll never be a significant human settlement there because Mars is basically uninhabitable."

"Since nothing ever seems to go exactly according to plan, I'd expect something more like 2040."

"Space agencies hoping to send crewed missions to Mars by the early 2030s will either have to double down on their budgets or settle for less ambitious missions."

"And if we persevere on this pathway, we can reach Mars itself before 2035."

"We want to achieve a Mars landing in 2033."

"Humans will set out for Mars in the 2029 or 2031 windows, most likely."

"I think that the first human mission to Mars will take place about 2030, even though it is not currently on NASA’s schedule or any other space agency."

"Human landings [on Mars] may start as soon as 2029, although 2031 is more likely."

Will humans be sent to Mars before 2036?

The U.S. Senate confirmed billionaire entrepreneur Jared Isaacman as NASA administrator in a 67-30 vote on Wednesday. Isaacman, 42, becomes the youngest person in history to lead NASA and the agency's 15th administrator.

Jared Isaacman

The U.S. Senate confirmed billionaire entrepreneur Jared Isaacman as NASA administrator in a 67-30 vote on Wednesday. Isaacman, 42, becomes the youngest person in history to lead NASA and the agency's 15th administrator.

President Donald <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.verity.news/story/2024/trump-taps-spacex-partner-isaacman-as-nasas-new-chief">Trump first nominated Isaacman in December 2024</a>, but <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.verity.news/story/2025/trump-withdraws-nasa-chief-nominee-isaacman-over-policy-split">withdrew the nomination in May</a> after what he described as "a thorough review of prior associations." <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.verity.news/story/2025/trump-renominates-billionaire-isaacman-for-nasa-chief">Trump renominated Isaacman in November</a>, stating his "passion for space" made him "ideally suited to lead NASA into a bold new Era."

Space.com

Donald Trump

President Donald Trump first nominated Isaacman in December 2024, but withdrew the nomination in May after what he described as "a thorough review of prior associations." Trump renominated Isaacman in November, stating his "passion for space" made him "ideally suited to lead NASA into a bold new Era."

Isaacman is the founder and CEO of payment processing company Shift4 and has commanded two private SpaceX missions. He led Inspiration4 in 2021, the first all-civilian orbital mission, and Polaris Dawn in 2024, which featured the first commercial spacewalk.

Isaacman is the founder and CEO of payment processing company Shift4 and has commanded two private SpaceX missions. He led Inspiration4 in 2021, the first all-civilian orbital mission, and Polaris Dawn in 2024, which featured the first commercial spacewalk.

During confirmation hearings, Isaacman faced scrutiny over his relationship with SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. He sought to downplay his association with Musk, stating, "I led two missions to space at SpaceX because it's the only organization that can send astronauts to and from space since the Shuttle was retired."

Daily Caller

FOX News

During confirmation hearings, Isaacman faced scrutiny over his relationship with SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. He sought to downplay his association with Musk, stating, "I led two missions to space at SpaceX because it's the only organization that can send astronauts to and from space since the Shuttle was retired."

Isaacman emphasized <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.verity.news/story/2025/isaacman-faces-second-nasa-confirmation-hearing">the urgency of returning astronauts to the moon before China</a> during his Senate testimony. He stated the nation faces strategic competition in space and warned that falling behind could shift the balance of power on Earth.

c-span.org

Isaacman emphasized the urgency of returning astronauts to the moon before China during his Senate testimony. He stated the nation faces strategic competition in space and warned that falling behind could shift the balance of power on Earth.

The confirmation places Isaacman at the helm of NASA as the agency faces budget uncertainty and aims to land astronauts near the moon's south pole in 2027. Isaacman succeeds Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who served as acting administrator since July.

The confirmation places Isaacman at the helm of NASA as the agency faces budget uncertainty and aims to land astronauts near the moon's south pole in 2027. Isaacman succeeds Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who served as acting administrator since July.

NASA finally has a leader who builds rather than bureaucratizes. Isaacman brings entrepreneurial speed and real spaceflight experience to an agency that's been stuck in a decades-long committee-driven decline. America needs someone who treats Mars as a deadline, not a dream, and understands this is the most important technological race since the Cold War.

NASA finally has a leader who builds rather than bureaucratizes. Isaacman brings entrepreneurial speed and real spaceflight experience to an agency that's been stuck in a decades-long committee-driven decline. America needs someone who treats Mars as a deadline, not a dream, and understands this is the most important technological race since the Cold War.

Terrence K. Williams

Mario Nawfal

Republican narrative

Handing NASA to a SpaceX customer creates a direct pipeline of federal dollars to Musk's company while sidelining climate science. This billionaire with zero experience managing large organizations will prioritize nationalist spectacle over actual scientific missions. The merger of government and capital is textbook fascism dressed up as innovation.

Handing NASA to a SpaceX customer creates a direct pipeline of federal dollars to Musk's company while sidelining climate science. This billionaire with zero experience managing large organizations will prioritize nationalist spectacle over actual scientific missions. The merger of government and capital is textbook fascism dressed up as innovation.

William Murphy

Democratic narrative

There's a 50% chance that NASA will next land astronauts on the moon by October 2029, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

There's a 50% chance that NASA will next land astronauts on the moon by October 2029, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Senate Confirms Jared Isaacman as Youngest NASA Chief

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Senate Confirms Jared Isaacman as Youngest NASA Chief

The Spin

Republican narrative

Democratic narrative

Metaculus Prediction

Public Figures

The Controversies

Clampin

Appropriations

Koss

Morisette

Elrich

Society

University

Research

Reuter

Borowitz

Engineering

Aldrin

Bridenstine

Hague

Musk

Political split

LEFT

RIGHT

More neutral political stance articles

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