The Senate confirmed Jared Isaacman to be the new NASA administrator

The Senate confirmed Jared Isaacman as the new director of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Isaacman, CEO of payment processing company Shift4, was confirmed by a large bipartisan majority, with 67 votes in favor and only 30 against.

This was the second nomination for the 42-year-old businessman, given that Donald Trump had withdrawn his name in May following his clash with Elon Musk. Finally, and following the rapprochement between the president and the Tesla founder, his name was again sent to the Senate in November for confirmation.

However, despite several reports that specified that his name had Musk's backing for the post, he denied having a close link with the former head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

"Every story I see that writes about my nomination refers to the Musk ally or the Musk friend. t’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," he said at his second confirmation hearing in the upper chamber.

During the aforementioned hearing, he also raised the need to press the accelerator in the space race: "This is not the time for delay but a time for action because 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."

In addition, as part of an effort to reach the Moon, Mars, and deep space, he presented a plan to increase competition among private-sector entities. The document was produced in May and bore the name 'Project Athena Strategic Plan,' which offered ideas on how he hoped to reorganize and revitalize NASA.

"NASA will return to focusing on achieving the near impossible—doing what no other agency, organization or company is capable of doing," he wrote in the document's introduction.

One of the key names in the Trump administration's re-nomination of Isaacman was Senator Tim Sheehy. As Semafor published, the Montana Republican strategically cast doubt on the nomination of U.S. Ambassador to India Sergio Gor as a bargaining chip to negotiate Isaacman's return.

"Sheehy kept his hold private in September, and his strategy worked. Vice President JD Vance quickly called him to defuse the situation; he told Vance that the lack of a permanent NASA chief was a 'huge problem.' The two came to a deal: Sheehy would release his hold in exchange for the administration redoubling its efforts to fill the position," noted the aforementioned media outlet.

Once in office, Isaacman will replace Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who has served as acting administrator since the summer. "I wish Jared success as he begins his tenure and leads NASA as we go back to the Moon in 2028 and beat China," Duffy celebrated on his social media.