President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that he is re-nominating Jared Isaacman, founder of Shift4 and a private astronaut, to head NASA, months after previously withdrawing the nomination. The decision, posted on Trump’s Truth Social platform, reverses an earlier move that left the agency under the interim leadership of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
The re-nomination follows several weeks of public criticism directed at Duffy from Elon Musk and other prominent figures in the space industry, who questioned his suitability to lead the agency long term.
“The support from the space-loving community has been overwhelming,” Isaacman wrote on X after the announcement. “I am not sure how I earned the trust of so many, but I will do everything I can to live up to those expectations.”
Earlier in the day, Isaacman had published his vision statement for NASA on X, explaining that he chose to release it publicly after a draft version began circulating in Washington among individuals advocating to keep Duffy in charge. He suggested that “political operators” were working to create tension between himself and the interim NASA chief.
Isaacman, a billionaire pilot and entrepreneur, previously commanded Inspiration4, the first all-civilian orbital space mission launched by SpaceX in 2021. His return as the nominee signals renewed White House backing for his leadership of the U.S. space agency.
Featured image credits: Polaris Program/John Kraus via Flickr
For more stories like it, click the +Follow button at the top of this page to follow us.