NASA's prospective boss posts 2,000 words on X. It's damage control.
Tech billionaire and commercial astronaut Jared Isaacman is trying to stem the fallout from a leaked document describing sweeping changes he has proposed for NASA, defending the plan as an incomplete rough draft.
Some industry stakeholders and bureaucrats have interpreted the plan, known as "Athena," as an effort to cancel major projects, such as SLS, NASA's mega moon rocket, and Gateway, a future lunar space station. Critics have also speculated the plan seeks to shutter some of the agency's 10 campuses.
President Donald Trump previously tapped Isaacman, the first civilian to perform a spacewalk during a SpaceX mission he personally funded, to lead the U.S. space agency, then abruptly withdrew that nomination in May. The decision to pull Isaacman followed a public spat between Trump and SpaceX founder Elon Musk, who had originally urged the president to select the 42-year-old entrepreneur.
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In a 2,000-word post on X, Isaacman said on Tuesday that his plan had been mischaracterized and distorted by reporters. He called the leak a political maneuver that risked undermining confidence in NASA at a critical juncture.
Three hours later, Trump announced on his own social media platform, Truth Social, that he was nominating Isaacman for NASA administrator — again.
The controversy unfolds as NASA endures the federal funding lapse, with thousands of civil servants furloughed and most projects on hold. Only essential mission operations — astronaut safety on the International Space Station and the monitoring of active spacecraft — continue under contingency rules. The government shutdown has compounded concerns within the agency, where uncertainty over leadership has left many workers demoralized and rudderless.
"Personally, I think the 'why' behind the timing of this document circulating — and the spin being given to reporters — is the real story," Isaacman said on X.
The confidential 62-page document, first reported by Politico, was drafted by Isaacman's team earlier this year while he awaited Senate confirmation. The plan, according to reports, laid out a series of changes that many people have viewed as potentially destructive to existing programs and contracts.
Isaacman, who founded the Shift4 credit card-processing company, confirmed the document’s authenticity but called it outdated and "intended to be a living document refined through data gathering post-confirmation." He said only one printed copy was distributed and that it was a distilled version from a longer plan that had over 40 more pages.
The proposal, he wrote, centered on five priorities: reorganizing NASA’s bureaucracy to empower engineers and reduce red tape; expanding astronaut flight opportunities and lunar missions; strengthening partnerships with industry to build a sustainable "orbital economy"; leveraging NASA’s expertise to accelerate scientific discovery; and investing in advanced technologies, such as artificial intelligence and nuclear propulsion.
Isaacman pushed back on claims that the plan sought to eliminate major programs or close NASA centers. He said it merely explored shifting resources and questioned whether existing infrastructure aligned with mission needs.
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"The report never even remotely suggested that America could ever do without the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Personally, I have publicly defended programs like the Chandra X-ray Observatory, offered to fund a Hubble reboost mission," he said, "and anything suggesting that I am anti-science or want to outsource that responsibility is simply untrue."
The businessman also voiced support for acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy, who is simultaneously the transportation secretary, saying reports of friction between them have been overblown. Both men have expressed interest in overseeing the agency. Duffy had advocated for folding NASA into the Department of Transportation, which would allow him to continue leading it, according to the Wall Street Journal.
In the backdrop of this scrimmage for control is a renewed space race — this time between the United States and China. NASA has a plan to return humans to the surface of the moon as early as 2027 with Artemis III. But given the tendency for mission timelines to face delays, that may put the astronaut landing neck and neck with China's plan to put the first taikonauts on the moon in 2030.
Right now SpaceX holds a $4.2 billion contract to supply a moon-lander version of Starship to NASA for the mission. But the spacecraft seems to be running years behind schedule. Duffy, who has promised the United States will get there before China, recently reopened the Artemis III lander contract, much to Musk's chagrin. NASA is now evaluating accelerated plans from both SpaceX and Blue Origin, its competitor founded by Jeff Bezos.
Meanwhile, many have assumed Isaacman's close ties with Musk will mean favoritism toward SpaceX, regardless of timeline, cost, or concept. Isaacman says he has no loyalties to any aerospace vendors.
"This isn’t an election or campaign for the NASA Administrator job," Isaacman said.
Topics NASA
Elisha Sauers writes about space for Mashable, taking deep dives into NASA's moon and Mars missions, chatting up astronauts and history-making discoverers, and jetting above the clouds. Through 17 years of reporting, she's covered a variety of topics, including health, business, and government, with a penchant for public records requests. She previously worked for The Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk, Virginia, and The Capital in Annapolis, Maryland. Her work has earned numerous state awards, including the Virginia Press Association's top honor, Best in Show, and national recognition for narrative storytelling. For each year she has covered space, Sauers has won National Headliner Awards, including first place for her Sex in Space series. Send space tips and story ideas to [email protected] or text 443-684-2489. Follow her on X at @elishasauers.
