U.S. Senate confirms private astronaut, Musk ally Jared Isaacman as NASA chief

The U.S. Senate connected Wednesday (December 17, 2025) confirmed billionaire backstage astronaut Jared Isaacman to go President Donald Trump’s NASA administrator, making an advocator of Mars missions and a erstwhile subordinate of SpaceX CEO Elon Musk the abstraction agency’s 15th leader.

The ballot connected Mr. Isaacman, who Mr. Trump removed and past renamed arsenic NASA head nominee this year, passed 67-30, 2 weeks aft helium told senators successful his 2nd proceeding that NASA indispensable prime up the gait successful beating China backmost to the satellite this decade.

Acting NASA main Sean Duffy, who besides leads the U.S. Transportation Department, congratulated Isaacman connected X, wishing Isaacman “success arsenic helium begins his tenure and leads NASA arsenic we spell backmost to the Moon successful 2028 and bushed China.”