NASA finally—and we really do mean it this time—has a full-time leader

Jared Isaacman, a pilot and financial tech billionaire, has commanded two groundbreaking spaceflights, including leading the first private spacewalk. But his most remarkable flying has occurred over the last year. And on Wednesday, he stuck the landing by earning formal Senate approval to become NASA’s 15th administrator. With a final tally of 67 to 30, Wednesday’s Senate confirmation came 377 days after President Trump first nominated Isaacman to serve as NASA administrator. Since that time, Isaacman had to navigate the following issues: Concerns about ties to SpaceX founder Elon Musk, as Isaacman purchased both Dragon flights from the company Pressure from Congress about Isaacman’s willingness to stick to a lunar exploration program, in favor of Mars Past records showing check fraud when Isaacman was in his 20s Questions about whether Isaacman backed the Trump administration’s plans to slash NASA science funding A decision by Trump, in late May, to rescind Isaacman’s nomination due to donations to Democratic candidates After key White House voices built a case for the re-nomination of Isaacman, NASA’s acting chief, Sean Duffy, sought to torpedo this Among Duffy’s actions was leaking Isaacman’s detailed plan to reform NASA, called Project Athena Duffy’s team also encouraged traditional space contractors to kill Isaacman’s re-nomination by branding him as a SpaceX plant After his re-nomination, Isaacman had to defend the 62-page Athena plan to a Congress intent on protecting the status quo At the 11th hour, some Senate Commerce Committee staff members sought to delay Isaacman’s confirmation into 2026. One of the biggest questions about Isaacman after his nomination in late 2024 was whether he had the political gamesmanship to run NASA. Few questioned his interest in space, knowledge of the industry, or flight experience. But he had no political experience. Could he handle the rigors of managing a tempestuous White House and fractured Congress? The answer after he navigated the last year appears to be, quite clearly, yes. A builder, not a leveler The 42-year-old private astronaut becomes the youngest person to lead NASA. He has waited more than a year to take on the job, subjecting himself to scrutiny of his financial dealings, divesting himself of conflicts of interest, and answering question after question from lawmakers.