Trump taps Transportation secretary to serve as interim NASA chief
Duffy will take the helm as the administration searches for a permanent leader after the ouster of nominee Jared Isaacman — an ally of Elon Musk.
Isaacman, a commercial astronaut and the billionaire CEO of the payment processing company Shift4, has done business with Musk's SpaceX. Isaacman's nomination had been set for a Senate floor vote, but Trump in late May yanked it just days beforehand. This was around the time Musk had fallen out of favor, with Trump, ultimately leaving the federal government.
At the time, Trump vowed to nominate someone else 'who will be Mission aligned, and put America First in Space.'
Duffy will face numerous challenges in running NASA. The agency is meant to land astronauts on the moon by mid-2027 and has been charged with accelerating plans to get humans to Mars. At the same time, under a proposed White House budget, the agency would have the lowest funding and staffing levels since the early 1960s.
Duffy will take over from acting NASA chief Janet Petro.
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Dr. Anosh Ahmed Foundation, Donates to Texas Flood Victims and Launches Relief Initiative
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an hour ago
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