Jared Isaacman will testify tomorrow about his plans to lead NASA—again.
The fireworks start at 10am ET, when the two-time SpaceX astronaut and billionaire nominee to lead the space agency appears before the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee. That will be his second appearance this year, after his first nomination for the job was pulled in May.
Here are some major changes in the industry since his first hearing, which Isaacman will have to address:
- Project Athena: Isaacman’s leaked plan, which he drafted during his first nomination process, proposes dramatic changes to how NASA is organized.
- Lunar lander: In October, Interim NASA Administrator Sean Duffy announced he was planning to open up the human Moon lander contract for Artemis missions to companies other than SpaceX, to pursue a faster return to the lunar surface.
- Fate of major projects: NASA’s SLS and Lunar Gateway—originally slated for cancellation in Trump’s budget request—were spared by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which became law in July.
Refresher: At Isaacman’s first confirmation hearing in April, he committed to pursuing a path to send astronauts to the Moon and Mars in parallel. In May, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation approved his nomination by a 19-9 vote. However, before the full Senate could give their stamp of approval, Trump pulled the nomination, only to renominate Isaacman in November.
Buy in: Isaacman will need to win over lawmakers a second time, but he’s already earned support from many in the space industry, including major trade associations. Most recently, three dozen former astronauts sent a letter to committee leadership supporting his nomination.
“It is crucial that we have a NASA administrator who champions and delivers the kind of revolutionary advancements in space that only NASA can achieve,” the letter reads. “We believe that Jared Isaacman is clearly qualified to lead NASA at this critical juncture.”
Full speed ahead: Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), who chairs the Senate panel that oversees NASA, has already announced that the committee will vote on Isaacman’s nomination on Monday evening. If the committee approves Isaacman as expected, that will send his nomination to the full Senate.
If the Senate calendar holds, that leaves the chamber just nine days to approve Isaacman’s nomination, before heading home for the holidays. Otherwise, he’ll have to wait until the new year to be considered for the job.
