Latest news with #Isaacman
UPI
5 days ago
- Science
- UPI
Ex-astronaut, one-time Trump nominee Jared Isaacman gives $15M to rocket center
Jared Isaacman speaks during a Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation hearing on at the U.S. Capitol in April. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo July 11 (UPI) -- Ex-NASA administrator nominee Jared Isaacman has donated $15 million to support the U.S. Space & Rocket Center's under-construction Inspiration4Skills Training Complex in Huntsville, Al. The Space & Rocket Center's Inspiration4 Skills Training Complex is named after the all-civilian space mission that Isaacman, 42, led over three days as part of a SpaceX endeavor in September 2021, according to The Inspiration4 mission was the first space mission that used an all-civilian crew to orbit the Earth, and its namesake training complex is scheduled to open in early 2026. "The Inspiration4 Skills Training Complex and the Polaris Dawn mission activities will transform Space Camp," Space Camp Vice President Robin Soprano told in an emailed statement. "Through this extraordinary investment, we are building cutting-edge experiences to take our programs and our students into the future." Isaacman announced the donation on Friday, which will help fund the construction of the training facility in Huntsville and a new dormitory for Space Camp students. It also will help to pay for Space Camp mission operations and activities for students who are participating in Space Camp Robotics and the U.S. Cyber Camp. Such activities include simulated moon and Mars missions and are named after the Polaris Dawn mission, which was Isaacman's second spaceflight with SpaceX and occurred in September 2024. Isaacman also donated $10 million to the Space & Rocket Center in 2022. The center is affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution and is the visitor center for the Marshall Space Flight Center. The campus also is home to several educational programs, including the Space Camp Institute, Space Camp Robotics, U.S Cyber Camp, Aviation Challenge and the INTUITIVE Planetarium. Isaacman attended the Aviation Challenge program at the center when he was 12, which inspired him to earn a pilot's license. He briefly was President Donald Trump's nominee to lead NASA earlier this year and in September 2024 led the five-day Polaris Dawn mission for SpaceX. That mission included the first spacewalk performed by a civilian. Isaacman underwent months of vetting and was only days away from a Senate confirmation vote when Trump withdrew his nomination as NASA administrator due to "prior associations."
The Hill
5 days ago
- Business
- The Hill
Duffy takes reins at NASA
The Big Story President Trump has tapped Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to lead the space agency on an interim basis after Trump yanked his original nominee for the post. © Greg Nash 'Sean is doing a TREMENDOUS job in handling our Country's Transportation Affairs, including creating a state-of-the-art Air Traffic Control systems, while at the same time rebuilding our roads and bridges, making them efficient, and beautiful, again,' Trump posted on Truth Social. 'He will be a fantastic leader of the ever more important Space Agency, even if only for a short period of time,' he added. Trump in June abruptly withdrew the nomination of tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman to lead NASA. The move came days before the Senate was expected to confirm Isaacman to the post, reports The Hill's Brett Samuels. In announcing the withdrawal, Trump cited Isaacman's 'past associations,' an apparent nod to his previous donations to Democrats. But Isaacman was also a close ally of Tesla CEO and former special government employee Elon Musk, who has since had a falling out with the president. Trump has said he thought it was 'inappropriate that a very close friend of Elon, who was in the Space Business, run NASA, when NASA is such a big part of Elon's corporate life.' Duffy becomes the latest Cabinet official to be given multiple job titles. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is also serving as interim national security adviser. Duffy responded to the president's post on X, writing, 'Honored to accept this mission. Time to take over space. Let's launch.' Welcome to The Hill's Technology newsletter, I'm Julia Shapero — tracking the latest moves from Capitol Hill to Silicon Valley. Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here. Essential Reads How policy will be impacting the tech sector now and in the future: US divided over AI implications: Gallup The American public is evenly divided over the implications of artificial intelligence (AI). Still, the majority thinks the new technology will reduce the need for people to do creative or important tasks, according to a new survey that was released on Thursday. The new Gallup poll found that 49 percent of the U.S. adults said that AI is 'just the latest in a long line of technological advancements that humans will learn … Missouri attorney general claims chatbots undermining Trump record Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey (R) is demanding information from several major tech firms with artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots, which he alleges are distorting facts and producing biased results about President Trump. Bailey sent letters to Google, Microsoft, OpenAI and Meta on Wednesday, asking whether they design their algorithms to disfavor certain political affiliations or policy positions and requesting … Musk releases latest Grok version after antisemitism controversy Elon Musk's artificial intelligence (AI) company xAI unveiled the newest version of its chatbot Grok on Wednesday amid fallout from a recent update that resulted in numerous antisemitic responses from the chatbot. Musk claimed during a livestreamed launch on his social platform X that Grok 4 is the 'smartest AI model in the world.' 'It really is remarkable to see the advancement of artificial intelligence and how quickly … The Refresh News we've flagged from the intersection of tech and other topics: Crypto Corner SEC says tokenized securities are still securities © Andrew Harnik, Associated Press Welcome to Crypto Corner, a daily feature focused on digital currency and its outlook in Washington. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is clearing the air on tokenized securities. SEC commissioner Hester Peirce clarified Wednesday that tokenized securities, or digital representations of financial assets, are still securities under the law. 'As powerful as blockchain technology is, it does not have magical abilities to transform the nature of the underlying asset,' she said in a statement. 'Tokenized securities are still securities,' Peirce added. 'Accordingly, market participants must consider—and adhere to—the federal securities laws when transacting in these instruments.' Peirce, who is leading the SEC's crypto task force, suggested that market participants meet with the agency and its staff as they develop tokenized offerings. 'While blockchain-based tokenization is new, the process of issuing an instrument representing a security is not,' she said. 'The same legal requirements apply to on- and off-chain versions of these instruments.' ICYMI: Bitcoin hit a new high Wednesday, crossing $112,000 for the first time. The price of one bitcoin sits at nearly $113,500 as of Thursday afternoon. In Other News Branch out with other reads on The Hill: Thousands reporting problems with Microsoft Outlook Several thousand users reported problems with Outlook on Thursday morning, as Microsoft acknowledged that users might have issues accessing their mailbox. More than 2,700 users were reporting problems as of 11:45 a.m. EDT, with issues initially emerging Wednesday night, according to Downdetector. Microsoft said early Thursday morning that it had determined the cause of the problem and was deploying a fix. BestReviews … What Others are Reading Two key stories on The Hill right now: ICE official says no plan yet on Abrego Garcia deportation A senior Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official on Thursday testified under oath that the agency has not yet decided where Kilmar Abrego … Read more Judge blocks Trump's birthright citizenship order Close Thank you for signing up! Subscribe to more newsletters here The latest in politics and policy. Direct to your inbox. Sign up for the 12:30 Report … Read more You're all caught up. See you tomorrow! Thank you for signing up! Subscribe to more newsletters here
India Today
6 days ago
- Business
- India Today
Nasa gets new temporary boss as Trump's budget cut leads to mass layoffs
U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday tapped Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to serve as the interim administrator of NASA, a role that has remained vacant since Trump withdrew his initial will temporarily take over the post that has been in the spotlight due to Trump's feud with billionaire Elon Musk, who wanted his close ally Jared Isaacman to lead the space is doing a TREMENDOUS job in handling our Country's Transportation Affairs ... He will be a fantastic leader of the ever more important Space Agency, even if only for a short period of time," Trump wrote on Truth Social. Trump named Isaacman, a billionaire private astronaut, to be the NASA administrator in December, before abruptly withdrawing his nomination in May, a decision that angered SpaceX owner Musk. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. (Photo: Reuters) While at the time the White House did not provide an explanation for pulling Isaacman's nomination, Trump has since said it was "inappropriate" to have named Isaacman as NASA administrator, considering Musk's business with the space Trump's announcement on Wednesday, Isaacman called it "a great move" and wished Duffy well."NASA needs political leadership from someone the President trusts and has confidence in," Isaacman said on announcement came as Politico reported that more than 2,100 senior-ranking NASA employees are set to leave their jobs under a push by the administration to shed staff through early retirement, buyouts and deferred Trump's administration, the U.S. space industry and NASA's workforce of 18,000 have been whipsawed by looming layoffs and proposed budget cuts that would cancel dozens of science programs.- EndsMust Watch
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India.com
6 days ago
- Business
- India.com
Trump Boots Musk Ally, Rockets Sean Duffy To NASA's Helm – Turbulence Awaits Space Agency
Washington: The man who rebuilt roads and reimagined air traffic now finds himself steering the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). President Donald Trump has appointed Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy as the interim chief of America's space agency – a move that blindsided even close White House aides. The timing is dramatic. The circumstances? Even more so. The U.S. president made the announcement late on July 9 on Truth Social, painting Duffy as a patriotic powerhouse who has 'rebuilt our roads and bridges' and created 'state-of-the-art Air Traffic Control systems'. With emoji-laden flair, he added, 'He will be a fantastic leader of the ever more important Space Agency, even if only for a short period of time. Congratulations, and thank you, Sean.' Duffy echoed the sentiment moments later on X, declaring, 'Honored to accept this mission. Time to take over space. Let's launch.' Honored to accept this mission. Time to take over space. Let's launch. — Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) July 10, 2025 But behind the fanfare lies a story packed with politics, power plays and a billionaire falling out. Just weeks earlier, Trump pulled the nomination of Jared Isaacman – a private astronaut, SpaceX collaborator and CEO of Shift4 – who had been set for a Senate floor vote. The decision sent ripples through both Washington and the commercial spaceflight industry. Isaacman's ties to Elon Musk proved to be his undoing. Once Trump's favorite entrepreneur, Musk fell out of favour during disputes over the president's domestic spending bill. 'I thought it inappropriate that a very close friend of Elon, who was in the Space Business, run NASA, when NASA is such a big part of Elon's corporate life,' Trump wrote. He also accused Isaacman of being a 'blue blooded Democrat' who had never supported the Republican cause. With Isaacman out and no Senate-confirmed replacement in sight, Duffy's interim assignment plugs a vacuum that had grown tense. He replaces acting NASA chief Janet Petro, who had led the agency since January. But Duffy is not inheriting a launch pad. He is walking into a blast zone. NASA faces some of its toughest challenges in decades. The agency is still on the clock to land astronauts on the moon by 2027 and accelerate its path to Mars. Yet, proposed White House budgets have stripped NASA to its bones, leaving it with the lowest staffing and funding levels since the early 1960s. Reports have also surfaced of potential layoffs affecting over 2,100 senior staff. Space insiders remain split over the move. To his credit, Isaacman held a measured tone after the appointment. 'Short of a new nominee, this was a great move. NASA needs political leadership from someone the President trusts and has confidence in,' he wrote on X. Duffy's qualifications in space science remain unclear, but his loyalty is not in question. It seems that is enough for now. The White House, the DOT and the NASA have all remained silent on how long Duffy will serve or what long-term plans exist for the agency's future leadership. As one former NASA official put it bluntly off the record, 'NASA's next rocket launch is not to space but through Washington's atmosphere.' The countdown has started, and all eyes are on Duffy's launch trajectory in a seat no one expected him to take.
Indian Express
6 days ago
- Business
- Indian Express
Trump names Transportation Secretary Duffy as interim NASA administrator
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday tapped Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to serve as the interim administrator of NASA, a role that has remained vacant since Trump withdrew his initial nominee. Duffy will temporarily take over the post that has been in the spotlight due to Trump's feud with billionaire Elon Musk, who wanted his close ally Jared Isaacman to lead the space agency. 'Sean is doing a TREMENDOUS job in handling our Country's Transportation Affairs … He will be a fantastic leader of the ever more important Space Agency, even if only for a short period of time,' Trump wrote on Truth Social. Trump named Isaacman, a billionaire private astronaut, to be the NASA administrator in December, before abruptly withdrawing his nomination in May, in a decision that angered SpaceX-owner Musk. While at the time the White House did not provide an explanation for pulling Isaacman's nomination, Trump has since said it was 'inappropriate' to have named Isaacman as NASA administrator, considering Musk's business with the space agency. After Trump's announcement on Wednesday, Isaacman called it 'a great move' and wished Duffy well. 'NASA needs political leadership from someone the President trusts and has confidence in,' Isaacman said on X. Trump's announcement came as Politico reported that more than 2,100 senior-ranking NASA employees are set to leave their jobs under a push by the administration to shed staff through early retirement, buyouts and deferred resignations. Under Trump's administration, the U.S. space industry and NASA's workforce of 18,000 have been whipsawed by looming layoffs and proposed budget cuts that would cancel dozens of science programs.
