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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER — President Donald Trump has made a new selection for interim NASA administrator after withdrawing his original nominee.
Trump posted to Truth Social Wednesday night announcing U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy as the new head of NASA.
What You Need To Know
- President Trump taps current U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy
- This comes after the president pulled his nomination of tech entrepreneur and commercial astronaut Jared Isaacman
- Unknown if NASA’s climate change studies may be impacted, due to Duffy’s previous comments on denying the “climate crisis”
- Janet Petro was leading NASA as Janet Petro; her role with the U.S. space agency is unclear
His post said Duffy has already done a great job overseeing the country’s transportation related affairs, including the rebuilding of roads and bridges, and that “he will be a fantastic leader of the ever more important space agency.”
In May, Trump withdrew his first pick for the position — tech entrepreneur and commercial astronaut Jared Isaacman — saying that he thought it would have been “inappropriate” to have someone run NASA who is closely tied to Elon Musk, the SpaceX co-founder and former head of the unofficial Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
This change came when Trump and Musk had a falling out over the president’s “Big Beautiful Bill” — which adds at least $4.1 billion in funding for the Artemis 4 & 5 moon mission, along with $2.6 billion for the Lunar Gateway space station — reversing his previous course of scaling back NASA’s traditional heavy-lift and crewed spacecraft programs.
It is unclear how long Duffy will run NASA or who the president will appoint for the position long term.
Duffy responded to the president on Truth Social, saying he was “honored to accept this mission.”
His profile on the Department of Transportation’s website highlights his 10 years representing Wisconsin in congress, and before that, his decade as a district attorney in Wisconsin.
It also mentions his time hosting a business show on FOX and how he got his start in television on the MTV reality show, “The Real World.” He later starred on “Road Rules All Stars,“ where he met his wife, Rachel Campos-Duffy.
In prior years, Duffy has denied the “climate crisis” or that burning fossil fuels are contributing to the impact of the climate. Earlier this year, as the U.S. Transportation secretary, Duffy signed the “Woke Rescission” that eliminated Biden-era programs, including “orders that promote climate change activism …”
NASA does study climate change and it is not sure how his new role will impact one of those missions for the U.S. space agency.
Currently, NASA is being led by Interim Administrator Janet Petro, who has been in the role since her appointment by Trump in January 2025.
Previously, Petro was the 11th director of NASA’s John F. Kennedy Space Center and before that, was the acting director and a deputy director.
Spectrum News reached out to the U.S. space agency for comment regarding the new change in leadership on Thursday morning.
On Thursday afternoon, NASA sent the following statement from Petro.
“I am honored to have served the President as the acting NASA Administrator for the past 6 months. His decision to appoint Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy as acting Administrator reflects the high priority he places on our agency at this pivotal time. I’ve had the opportunity to work closely with Secretary Duffy—including during Crew-9’s return in the Space Operations Center at NASA Headquarters—and I’m confident in his leadership as we carry forward the President’s ambitious agenda. I look forward to supporting a smooth transition and returning home to Kennedy Space Center as Center Director. At home in Florida, I’ll continue to work hand-in-hand with Secretary Duffy to propel the President’s ambitious goals.”
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Jaclyn Harold, Anthony Leone
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