WASHINGTON — Nearly 30 former NASA astronauts have signed a letter endorsing Jared Isaacman as the agency’s next administrator, calling on the Senate to consider his nomination as soon as possible.
The letter, sent to the leadership of the Senate Commerce Committee, said Isaacman is “uniquely qualified” to lead the agency and asked them to hold a confirmation hearing for him as soon as possible.
“We believe that Jared Isaacman is uniquely qualified to lead NASA at this critical juncture. As an entrepreneur, pilot, and having commanded two groundbreaking space missions, he brings credibility and capability to make a difference now,” states the letter, signed by 28 former NASA astronauts and posted to social media March 21 by one of them, Garrett Reisman.
I am one of 28 former NASA Astronauts who signed this letter supporting Jared Isaacman for the position of NASA Administrator. In the words of the letter, “Jared has a genuine passion for space exploration and will bring a renewed energy and sense of purpose to NASA.”
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— Garrett Reisman (@astro-g-dogg.bsky.social) March 21, 2025 at 7:05 PM
“Jared will be able to apply his vision and business acumen to make NASA a continued leader and fulfill its mission of exploration, inspiration, and discovery while expanding commercial opportunities that benefit all Americans,” the letter continued. “Jared has a genuine passion for space exploration and will bring a renewed energy and sense of purpose to NASA.”
Donald Trump announced in December his intent to nominate Isaacman, the billionaire founder of payment processing company Shift4, as NASA administrator in December, a nomination that became official Jan. 20, the day Trump was inaugurated as president. Isaacman is best known in the space community as the commander of the Inspiration4 private astronaut mission in September 2021 and of the Polaris Dawn private astronaut mission three years later.
His nomination is under the jurisdiction of the Senate Commerce Committee, which has yet to schedule a hearing to consider the nomination. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), chairman of the committee, said in February that the committee was “still waiting for the paperwork to be completed” before scheduling a hearing.
“NASA has a difficult mission and therefore requires steady leadership. We urge the Senate Commerce Committee to hold Mr. Isaacman’s confirmation hearing as soon as practical,” the former astronauts stated in the letter.
The signatories primarily served as astronauts on shuttle and space station missions, although one, Rusty Schweickart, flew on Apollo 9 in 1969. Other notable signatories include Bob Cabana, who after his astronaut career was director of the Kennedy Space Center and NASA associate administrator; Bill Readdy, who became associate administrator for space operations; and John Grunsfeld, a veteran of several Hubble repair missions who later served as associate administrator for science and, during the 2024 election, backed a group called “Space Cadets 4 Harris” that supported Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris.
The astronauts are not the only former NASA officials to support Isaacman’s nomination. Former NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said at the Satellite 2025 conference March 11 he expected Isaacman to be an “amazing” NASA administrator.
“I think he’s got all the tools to be what could be the most consequential NASA administrator given the era in which we live in now,” Bridenstine said of Isaacman, urging the Senate to confirm him quickly. “The sooner he gets confirmed, the better NASA is going to be. So, let’s not leave it linger. The worst thing for the agency is to leave it linger.”
