Trump’s NASA pick stresses moon race urgency, pressed on Musk ties in Senate hearing
WASHINGTON — Billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead NASA, on Wednesday touted his plans to put U.S. astronauts back on the moon before China gets there and sought to portray himself as independent from SpaceX CEO Elon Musk as he faced his second Senate confirmation hearing.
Isaacman, an e-commerce mogul who twice flew to orbit on all-private astronaut missions as a customer and collaborator with SpaceX, told senators that falling behind in the moon race with China “could shift the balance of power here on Earth.”
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“The last time I sat before you, I introduced myself, my qualifications and the challenges and opportunities ahead,” Isaacman added. “This time, I am here with a message of urgency.” Trump first nominated Isaacman to head the U.S. space agency in December 2024 but withdrew the nomination in May after a falling-out between the Republican president and Musk. Sean Duffy, the head of the U.S. Department of Transportation, was named interim NASA administrator in July.
Democratic senators are concerned about Isaacman’s closeness to Musk, whose company holds about $15 billion in NASA contracts and could benefit from certain policies Isaacman has advocated.
Musk advocated for Isaacman’s nomination when Trump was elected in 2024. Musk had sought to realign the U.S. space program with a greater focus on Mars during his stint as a close adviser to Trump.
As was the case during his first confirmation hearing in April, Isaacman did not directly answer when pressed whether Musk was in the room when he was offered the nomination by Trump. Isaacman sought to sidestep the question by replying that many people were in the room.
“That actually makes me think that Elon Musk was in the room that day,” Democratic Senator Edward Markey told Isaacman.
Isaacman rejected notions that he is a close friend of Musk and that his role would create a conflict of interest. He said he flew to space twice with SpaceX because it was the only company capable of sending astronauts into orbit.
