NASA head Jared is out

A self-made billionaire and private astronaut, Jared Isaacman was a nominee to be the next NASA administrator – until today. Here’s what Liz Huston, a spokesperson for the White House, officially announced.

“The Administrator of NASA will help lead humanity into space and execute President Trump’s bold mission of planting the American flag on the planet Mars. It’s essential that the next leader of NASA is in complete alignment with President Trump’s America First agenda and a replacement will be announced directly by President Trump soon”

This is bad news for NASA. The agency is already hit by the current administration that is intending to cut the agency’s budget by one-quarter and implement a priority pivot from the Moon to Mars. NASA needs a leader more than ever, so it can manage turbulence between the White House, Congress, NASA employees, and the US’s space community.

Most people, even those who aren’t in favor of Trump, supported him as a new NASA administrator. A young leader (he was born in 1983) with a broad range of experience in space commercialization seemed like a reasonable pick despite there being compliance concerns around his ties with SpaceX. In note, Isaacman is a close ally of Elon Musk who provided space platforms for Isaacman’s missions.

Maybe, Isaacman isn’t that regretful of the incident. Leading NASA right now would be an extremely challenging mission. Here’s how he responded.

"I am incredibly grateful to President Trump, the Senate and all those who supported me throughout this journey. The past six months have been enlightening and, honestly, a bit thrilling. I have gained a much deeper appreciation for the complexities of government and the weight our political leaders carry. It may not always be obvious through the discourse and turbulence, but there are many competent, dedicated people who love this country and care deeply about the mission. That was on full display during my hearing, where leaders on both sides of the aisle made clear they’re willing to fight for the world’s most accomplished space agency. The President, NASA and the American people deserve the very best--an Administrator ready to reorganize, rebuild and rally the best and brightest minds to deliver the world-changing headlines NASA was built to create. I have not flown my last mission---whatever form that may ultimately take--but I remain incredibly optimistic that humanity’s greatest spacefaring days lie ahead. I’ll always be grateful for this opportunity and cheering on our President and NASA as they lead us on the greatest adventure in human history."

Nobody knows why they decided to withdraw the nomination. Some say Isaacman said the Artemis program should be prioritized over Martian objectives. It is also said that he criticized the attempt to cut NADA’s science budget. There are rumors that his previous record of donating to Democrats became an issue. It also makes us wonder that his removal came only a few days after Musk departed from the DOGE.

I guess we would have to wait and see who they will nominate next for the position. For sure, the pick will give us a clue about what happened behind the curtain.