NASA’s new launch director pick—a former space agency chief of staff—quickly turned into the latest political divide plaguing the nation’s space program.
Return of the chief: Brian Hughes, who will serve as NASA’s first senior launch operations director, was the space agency’s chief of staff from May to December, departing the agency once Administrator Jared Isaacman took over.
- Before that, Hughes served as the White House deputy national security advisor for strategic communications, for President Donald Trump.
- He also held prominent roles in Trump’s 2024 White House run, including as senior advisor to the campaign, and director of Florida campaign operations.
More details: In his new role, Hughes will oversee launch operations in Florida and Virginia, at KSC and Wallops Flight Facility. His top job will be working with industry officials and local government leaders to support the increased launch cadence at the two spaceports, according to a NASA release.
Capitol Hill reax: Lawmakers reactions to Hughes’ hiring split along party lines.
- Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) commended the hire, calling Hughes “a hard worker, a stronger leader, and a true patriot.”
- However, Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), the ranking member of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, slammed the decision, calling Hughes “a political hack that has a proven record of harming the agency.”
Lofgren’s comments harkened back to an April report from the committee’s Democratic staff, which claimed that NASA implemented the Trump administration’s proposed FY26 budget cuts to the agency—before revisions and approval by Congress. The report claims that those orders were given by Hughes and other senior political appointees.
“We are not going to beat China to the Moon by putting a political operative in charge of launching our astronauts into space,” Lofgren said in a statement. “Brian Hughes does not possess the background, knowledge, expertise, or temperament to hold a position of such immense responsibility.”
NASA’s response: Isaacman took to social media to reject claims that the decision was a political one.
“We are seeing unprecedented demand for launch across commercial, scientific, and national security missions, with many stakeholders across industry and the political landscape,” he wrote on X. “There are challenges to solve, which will require getting all parties aligned to enable the launch cadence and realize the opportunities in the years ahead.”
Trend alert: It’s not the first time recently that Dems have clashed with the administration’s space and science decisions. Lofgren also led the charge last month rallying against Trump’s cut of the entire National Science Foundation board, and promising to reject the administration’s proposed budget cuts to NASA—though on the latter issue, there’s bipartisan agreement to bump up the agency’s budget.
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