Second-time NASA nominee confirmed to lead space agency

The Senate on Wednesday approved Jared Isaacman for the top job at NASA — an unprecedented comeback after President Donald Trump yanked his nomination this spring.

Senators confirmed the billionaire private astronaut in a 67-30 vote.

Trump renominated Isaacman for NASA administrator in November, after pulling his original nomination in May. He cited Isaacman’s relationship with SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, with whom Trump had just had a falling out, as the rationale for his decision.

Isaacman’s surprise rebound followed months of political jockeying and help from high-profile figures in Trump’s orbit.

Isaacman was the CEO of the payment processing company Shift4, and has done business with Musk. He has pushed back in recent weeks about his ties to Musk, arguing that they aren’t friends and he has no connections to the space company.

“Every story I see that writes about my nomination refers to the Musk ally or the Musk friend,” Isaacman said at his second confirmation hearing in December. “It's funny that in a world where everybody has a phone with a camera on it, there are no pictures of us at dinner, at a bar, on an airplane or on a yacht, because they don't exist.”

Isaacman garnered backing from lawmakers during his hearing by confirming his support for NASA’s Artemis moon-landing mission, a key prerogative for Capitol Hill. He also committed to instilling urgency at the space agency, citing China’s space ambitions.

“This is not the time for delay, but for action,” Isaacman said. “If we fall behind, if we make a mistake, we may never catch up, and the consequences could shift the balance of power here on Earth.

Senate Commerce committee heads Ted Cruz (R-Tx.) and ranking member Maria Cantwell (D-Wa.), have said they want to see him in the role before the end of the year.

A permanent head at NASA will come as a relief for the space agency, as it grapples with budget uncertainty and the exodus of thousands of senior employees. Isaacman will also need to solidify plans for numerous high-profile programs, such as plans to land humans on the moon and replace the International Space Station.