Wanted: One NASA administrator

Politico

a day ago

Presented by
WELCOME TO POLITICO PRO SPACE. Thanks to everyone who read our inaugural issue. The excitement continues this week with speculation on the next NASA administrator, Congressional Golden Dome talk, and a Florida push to snag NASA HQ.
Who do you think the next NASA chief should be? Email me at [e-mail] with tips, pitches and feedback, and find me on X at @samuelskove. And remember, we're offering this newsletter for free over the next few weeks. After that, it will be available only to POLITICO Pro subscribers. Read all about it here.
The Spotlight
Now that Donald Trump has pushed NASA administrator nominee Jared Isaacman through the airlock, the search is on to find the space agency's next boss.
We spoke to 12 insiders and analysts about who could get the nod. The conclusion? They'll probably be retired military.
Starship Troopers: At least three former two- and three-star generals with space ties could be in the mix, according to four industry officials, who like others were granted anonymity to discuss internal discussions. These include retired Space Force Maj. Gen. John Olson, Lt. Gen. John Shaw, and Air Force Lt. Gen. Steve Kwast.
Olson served in the Space Force and in NASA. Shaw retired as deputy commander of Space Command in 2023. Kwast last served in the Air Force, but supporters pushed for him to lead the Space Force. (Notice a theme?)
The industry buzz follows Trump's decision two weeks ago to rescind the nomination amid a feud between SpaceX founder and Isaacman ally Elon Musk. The president then made the head-turning announcement that Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Dan Caine would weigh in on the search for the next administrator for NASA — an agency that is not part of the military.
Starfleet: Retired service members rarely lead the civilian agency, whose employees are known more for studying the stars than working with weapons. It has some people worried.
Other potential names floating in the stratosphere include NASA's Kevin Coggins and astronaut Mike Hopkins.
Coggins is a former military official who serves as head of NASA's Space Communications and Navigation program. Hopkins is a former NASA astronaut who joined the Space Force — from space — and was the first astronaut for the U.S.'s newest military service.
Former Rep. Mike Garcia (R-Calif.), who served on the House science subcommittee on space before Rep. George Whitesides (D-Calif.) unseated him this year, is yet another name circulating.
Under Pressure: Both industry and lawmakers are eager to fill the role amid the White House's proposed budget cuts to NASA, competition with China to return to the moon, and Trump's plans to land astronauts on Mars.
'I had thought we would have [an administrator] by now,' Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, which oversees NASA, told my colleague Joe this week. 'I don't know what their timing is, but I hope that the White House moves swiftly.'
Some senators were even willing to swallow their concerns about Isaacman, a billionaire who had no experience in government, to speed up the process.
'In this landscape of getting back [to the moon] quickly, usurping China, I was ready to give a technology entrepreneur a chance,' Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), the ranking member of the Senate Commerce committee, told Joe.
Twilight Zone: But industry officials were not aware of any candidates the White House had spoken with yet, a sign that no one has emerged as a frontrunner. A White House spokesperson declined to comment.
The physics of the nomination process is also working against the space industry, thanks to a nomination backlog. Isaacman, who Trump tapped early relative to past NASA administrators, took six months to even get on the roster for a Senate vote.
And we all know how that turned out.
Galactic Government
THE NASA HQ RACE TRAILS ALONG: States have spent months duking out who will snag NASA's headquarters once its Washington lease expires in 2028. Florida has just upped the ante.
Much of the Florida congressional delegation sent a letter this week to Trump urging him to consider moving NASA headquarters to Florida's Space Coast. It looks remarkably like a letter sent in April by Texas Republicans making a similar plea to relocate NASA to Houston, aka the 'Space City.'
All in? But only two of Florida's eight Democratic representatives stamped their approval. None of Texas' 12 Democrats did. 'Both states could rally their delegations if it was important,' an industry official said.
Military
GOLDEN GANG: The Trump administration may not know how it will build the president's 'Golden Dome' defense shield, but that hasn't stopped lawmakers from creating a caucus for it.
Reps. Jeff Crank (R-Colo.) and Dale Strong (R-Ala.) launched the House Golden Dome caucus this week to complement its counterpart in the Senate, created in May by Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.).
The highly nebulous plan involves placing interceptors in space to shoot down enemy missiles, a scheme that could cost more than $500 billion.
Crank, a first time lawmaker, represents Colorado Springs, home of Space Command. Strong represents Huntsville, a space hub and possible future home of Space Command — over the opposition of his colleague.
What Next: Trump announced in May that he had selected a design for the multi-layered system and tapped Space Force Gen. Michael Guetlein to lead development. But senators from both parties have said the plan is opaque, and the Pentagon canceled a major conference with industry on its plans just two weeks before the meetings were set to take place.
The Reading Room
House appropriators call for new Space Force acquisition pilot: Breaking Defense
How Private Space Drives Space Force's Intel Delivery: Payload
Space Force's first next-gen missile warning launch pushed to 2026: Defense News
Voyager raises $383 million from upsized IPO: SpaceNews
Event Horizon
MONDAY:
The Washington Space Business Roundtable holds a discussion on 2025 priorities for the FCC's Space Bureau.
The Paris Air Show starts Monday and runs through Sunday.
TUESDAY:
The Lunar and Planetary Institute holds a virtual and in-person discussion of NASA's Europa Clipper mission.
WEDNESDAY:
The National Security Space Association hosts a classified forum on the Space Force's strategic plans.
The Senate Armed Services Committee holds a hearing on the Defense Department's 2026 budget request.
Photo of the Week