The Senate confirmed Jared Isaacman Wednesday as the next administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), designating him the agency’s youngest leader in its history. Isaacman, 42, secured the nomination with a 67-30 vote after previously being pulled from consideration in May during a public dispute between Elon Musk and former President Donald Trump.

Acting NASA chief Sean Duffy, who also oversees U.S. transportation policy, congratulated Isaacman on social media, expressing confidence he would lead NASA toward lunar missions by 2028 and “beat China.” Duffy had previously advocated for merging NASA under his own department, a proposal he lost to Isaacman’s confirmation. His efforts sparked tensions with Musk as the transportation secretary accused SpaceX of falling behind on federal contracts and suggested alternatives like Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin.

Isaacman’s nomination was reactivated later in 2024 after Trump publicly claimed his donations to Democratic candidates prompted the initial withdrawal. According to reports, Isaacman leveraged allies within the administration to advance his confirmation. His financial success stems from founding Shift4, a payment processing company handling billions of transactions annually. He has flown on two SpaceX missions—both self-funded and crewed entirely by civilians—with his most recent trip in 2024 marking the first private-company spacewalk.

Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-MT) praised Isaacman’s confirmation, stating: “For nearly 70 years, the United States has been at the forefront of space exploration. President Trump knows how critical it is to reinvigorate NASA as we aim to reach new heights in the greatest frontier ever known, and that’s why he chose exactly the right man for the job.” Isaacman also co-founded Draken International, a Florida-based aerospace firm with ties to Musk’s Starlink ventures.

During Isaacman’s December confirmation hearing, Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) pressed him on the reasons behind Trump’s initial withdrawal of his nomination and potential conflicts of interest. Isaacman declined to speculate on why Trump reconsidered him but pledged to avoid conflicts in his role and committed to resigning from private sector positions if confirmed.

While some Republicans supported Isaacman’s proposals and certain senators championed his confirmation, many Democrats criticized the administration’s plans for NASA projects, citing proposed costs and strategic priorities as concerns.