Trump nominates Jared Isaacman to lead NASA as administrator. Isaacman is an entrepreneur and commander of two private spaceflight missions. Photo: Polaris Dawn

President Trump re-nominated Jared Isaacman to lead NASA as administrator, a reversal of his decision to withdraw Isaacman’s nomination earlier this year. 

“Jared’s passion for space, astronaut experience, and dedication to pushing the boundaries of exploration, unlocking the mysteries of the universe, and advancing the new space economy, make him ideally suited to lead NASA into a bold new era,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Nov. 4. 

Isaacman is an entrepreneur and the founder of Shift4 and Draken International, and known in commercial space for commanding two private spaceflight missions on SpaceX Dragon capsules. 

Trump previously nominated him to lead NASA in December of last year, then recalled that nomination in June amid a feud with Elon Musk, calling Isaacman a “close friend” of Musk. Isaacman released a statement at the time saying that he only knows Musk professionally and he does not have direct or indirect equity in SpaceX. 

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has been serving as the interim leader of NASA and was reportedly vying for the role of administrator. 

“Thank you, Mr. President for this opportunity. It will be an honor to serve my country under your leadership. I am also very grateful to Secretary Duffy, who skillfully oversees NASA alongside his many other responsibilities. The support from the space-loving community has been overwhelming. 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,” Isaacman said in a statement on Tuesday. 

Isaacman called for NASA to make “big, bold endeavors in space.” 

“To the innovators building the orbital economy, to the scientists pursuing breakthrough discoveries and to dreamers across the world eager for a return to the Moon and the grand journey beyond — these are the most exciting times since the dawn of the space age — and I truly believe the future we have all been waiting for will soon become reality,” Isaacman said. 

This week, Politico reported on a confidential manifesto that Isaacman prepared when he was the nominee earlier this year, detailing proposed changes to NASA including outsourcing more missions to the private sector and ending the Space Launch System rocket program.