Momentum seems to be building for Jared Isaacman to become NASA administrator

With the vast majority of President Donald Trump’s cabinet members now approved by the US Senate, focus is turning to senior positions within the administration that are just below the cabinet level.

The administrator of NASA is among the most high-profile of these positions. Nearly four months ago Trump nominated private astronaut Jared Isaacman to become chief of the space agency, but he has yet to receive a hearing before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

Almost immediately after his nomination, much of the space community fell in behind Isaacman, who has flown to space twice on private Crew Dragon missions, raised charitable funds, and is generally well liked. Since then Isaacman has worked to build support for his candidacy through conversations with people in the space community and officeholders.

However, publicly, not much has happened. This has raised questions within the space community about whether the nomination has stalled. Although some people have expressed concern about financial ties between Isaacman and SpaceX, according to multiple sources the primary obstacle has been Ted Cruz, the Texas Republican who chairs the Senate committee.

Cruz is not happy that Isaacman has donated to Democrats in the past, and he is concerned that the private astronaut is more interested in Mars exploration than the Moon. Cruz also did not appreciate Elon Musk’s call to end the life of the International Space Station early. The station is operated by NASA’s field center, Johnson Space Center, in Houston where Cruz lives.

Nomination on track

Nevertheless, despite the slower pace, people familiar with the nomination process say Isaacman’s candidacy remains on track. And recently, there have been some public announcements that support this notion.

In early March the governors of several Southern US states, including Florida and Texas, sent a letter to Cruz expressing “strong support” for the swift confirmation of Isaacman. A notable absence from this letter was the Governor of Alabama, Kay Ivey, where NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center is located. However, she also recently sent Cruz a letter praising Isaacman, calling him an “exceptional selection” to lead NASA. It is notable that the governors of all the US states with major human spaceflight activities have now lined up behind Isaacman.