Billionaire astronaut Jared Isaacman, an ally of billionaire SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, will be the next NASA administrator.
The Senate confirmed Isaacman's nomination on Wednesday in a 67-30 vote, giving the space agency a permanent boss after months of uncertainty and political drama.
Trump renominated Isaacman in November, months after withdrawing his initial nomination. The president originally pulled the offer in May, citing Isaacman's "prior associations," including political donations to Democrats and close ties to Musk. At the time, Trump said he viewed Isaacman as a "blue-blooded Democrat" and raised concerns about placing a Musk ally in charge of an agency deeply intertwined with SpaceX.
Isaacman, who has flown on multiple SpaceX missions and funded private spaceflights, continued to express interest in the role even after his nomination was rescinded. He has described himself as a political moderate and said he believed he became a "good target" amid Trump's brief falling out with Musk earlier this year.
The leadership vacuum at NASA intensified tensions between Musk and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, whom Trump appointed acting administrator in July. Duffy drew Musk's ire in the fall after he said he would reopen bids for the Artemis III lunar lander contract because of delays at SpaceX. Musk accused Duffy of "trying to kill" NASA and mocked the former congressman's background as a competitive tree climber.
Isaacman has previously said he would focus on cutting internal bureaucracy at NASA and empowering teams. His confirmation gives the agency a long-awaited permanent leader as the US races to return astronauts to the moon.
This story was written using Business Insider's AI tools and edited by a Business Insider editor.
