The Senate Commerce Committee voted on Dec. 8 to advance Jared Isaacman’s nomination to lead NASA. Isaacman said he aims to return U.S. astronauts to the Moon before China and emphasized his independence from SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. The e‑commerce entrepreneur, who has flown twice on private SpaceX missions, warned that falling behind China "could shift the balance of power here on Earth." The nomination now moves toward consideration by the full Senate.
Senate Commerce Committee Advances Jared Isaacman’s Nomination to Lead NASA
10:09 AM, 12/09/2025
WASHINGTON, Dec 8 — The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee voted late Monday to advance the nomination of billionaire private astronaut and entrepreneur Jared Isaacman to serve as administrator of NASA.
Speaking at a confirmation hearing last week, President Donald Trump's nominee outlined his goal of returning U.S. astronauts to the Moon before China and sought to stress his independence from SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.
Isaacman Highlights Moon Race, Independence From SpaceX
Isaacman, an e‑commerce executive who has flown to orbit twice on all‑private missions as both a customer and a collaborator with SpaceX, told senators that falling behind China in the race to the Moon "could shift the balance of power here on Earth." He framed his nomination around urgency for U.S. leadership in space and a focus on timely, capable programs at NASA.
"Falling behind in the Moon race could shift the balance of power here on Earth," Isaacman said.
The committee vote advances the nomination to the next stage of Senate consideration, but a final confirmation vote by the full Senate has not yet occurred. The hearing and committee action put Isaacman, a relative newcomer to government service, at the center of debates over commercial partnerships, national space strategy and the timeline for returning astronauts to the lunar surface.
(Reporting by David Shepardson in Washington; Editing by Jamie Freed)
Similar Articles
Senate Panel to Fast-Track Jared Isaacman for NASA Administrator; Dec. 8 Vote Scheduled
The Senate Commerce Committee has set a Dec. 8 vote on Jared Isaacman's renomination as NASA administrator. Isaacman, an e-co...
Jared Isaacman Nears Senate Confirmation As NASA Administrator — Vote Expected Monday
President Trump’s nominee for NASA administrator, Jared Isaacman, is scheduled for a Senate confirmation vote on Monday after...
This Week In Space — Episode 188: Could Jared Isaacman Lead NASA?
Episode 188 of This Week In Space focuses on Jared Isaacman's second Senate confirmation hearing as President Trump's nominee...
Senate Sets Dec. 3 Confirmation Hearing for Jared Isaacman to Lead NASA
The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee has scheduled a confirmation hearing for Jared Isaacman on December 3 to consider his nomi...
Isaacman Declines to Say Whether Elon Musk Was at Mar‑a‑Lago When Trump Offered NASA Role
Jared Isaacman refused to say whether Elon Musk was present when President Trump offered him the NASA administrator post, tel...
Jared Isaacman Returns to the Senate: Second NASA Confirmation Hearing to Focus on Leaked 'Project Athena'
Jared Isaacman faces a second Senate confirmation hearing Wednesday at 10 a.m. ET, with attention focused on a leaked 62-page...
Former NASA Chief: U.S. Should Restart Artemis Moon Plan or Risk Losing Lunar Leadership to China
Former NASA administrator Michael Griffin told a congressional hearing on Dec. 4 that the current Artemis lunar-landing archi...
Space Roundup — Week of Nov. 10: New Glenn Scrubbed, SpaceX Starship Update, and Florida's Launch Record Chase
Blue Origin's 321-foot New Glenn aimed for a second launch on Nov. 9 from Cape Canaveral but the attempt was scrubbed. SpaceX...
NASA Invites Public to Join Artemis II — Submit Your Name for the First Crewed Orion Flight
NASA is accepting name submissions to fly on an SD-card "boarding pass" aboard Artemis II, the first crewed flight of SLS and...
Why Russia Removed a Cosmonaut From SpaceX’s Crew‑12 Mission — What We Know
Roscosmos has removed Oleg Artemyev from NASA–SpaceX’s Crew‑12 and replaced him with Andrei Fedyayev, saying only that Artemy...
Musk vs Bezos: Mars as Humanity’s Lifeboat — or Save Earth First?
Elon Musk treats Mars as an insurance policy against existential threats and pushes for an ambitious, phased timeline that co...
SpaceX Starship Delays Could Push NASA’s Artemis 3 Moon Landing to 2028, Documents Suggest
SpaceX’s internal schedule, reported by Politico, targets an orbital refueling demo in June 2026 and an uncrewed lunar landin...
German Astronaut to Be First European to Travel to the Moon on NASA’s Artemis
Key points: At the ESA Ministerial Council in Bremen, Director General Josef Aschbacher announced that a German astronaut wil...
ESA Chief: The First European to Fly to the Moon Will Be German
ESA director Josef Aschbacher has said the first European astronaut to fly to the Moon will be German, with Alexander Gerst a...
Anthropic’s Dario Amodei Heads to Washington to Repair Relations and Push for Strong AI Export Controls
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei visited Washington to repair ties with the Trump administration and press for strong AI export con...