CNBC reports, “NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman on Monday told CNBC that it will ‘take some serious time’ to restore the launchpad damaged last week by a Blue Origin rocket explosion. Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin was conducting a hot-fire test of its massive New Glenn rocket on Thursday at a Space Force launch facility in Cape Canaveral, Florida, when the rocket erupted into a fireball. Bezos confirmed that all Blue Origin personnel were safe following the incident, and pledged to rebuild, while calling it a ‘very rough day.'”
Full Story (CNBC)
Tag: NASA Administrator
NASA Administrator Calls on Space Industry to Move with Urgency
FROM THE INSTITUTE
Jared Isaacman took the stage at ASCEND 2026’s opening plenary with a singular message: NASA is a fundamentally different agency – one that will act with urgency to return to the moon, build a permanent base there, and realize the economic potential of operating on the lunar surface.
ASCEND 2026 Program to Launch with NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman
FROM THE INSTITUTE
ASCEND 2026 will open on Tuesday, 19 May, with keynote remarks from Jared Isaacman, the 15th Administrator of NASA. It’s not his first time appearing at ASCEND. Isaacman spoke at ASCEND in 2021, just after returning from commanding Inspiration4, the first all-civilian orbital spaceflight. Now he’ll share perspectives from his new role leading America’s space program.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman to Open ASCEND 2026
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 6, 2026 – Reston, Va. – AIAA is pleased to welcome NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman back to the ASCEND stage to open ASCEND 2026 at 8 a.m., Tuesday, 19 May, Washington Hilton, Washington, DC. Isaacman first appeared at ASCEND in 2021, just after returning from commanding Inspiration4, the first all-civilian orbital spaceflight.
Registration for ASCEND 2026 is available online. Journalists should request a Press Pass.
Powered by AIAA, ASCEND is the world’s premier outcomes-focused, interdisciplinary space event designed to accelerate building our off-world future. Lockheed Martin is the Founding Sponsor of ASCEND. For ASCEND 2026, Commercial Space Federation (CSF) is the Premier Event Partner. Event partners include: BryceTech, ISS National Laboratory, Novaspace, Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Space Force Association (SFA), Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC), and The Aerospace Corporation.
Since 2020, ASCEND has promoted the collaborative, interdisciplinary, outcomes-driven community of professionals, students, and enthusiasts around the world who are accelerating humanity’s progress toward our off-world future.
Media Contact: Rebecca Gray, [email protected], 804-397-5270 cell
About AIAA
AIAA is the world’s largest aerospace technical society. With more than 33,000 individual members from 91 countries, and over 100 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. Visit www.aiaa.org or follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and X.
Isaacman Meets With SpaceX, Blue Origin to Explore Faster Artemis Timeline
Aviation Week reports, “NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman this week met with SpaceX and Blue Origin officials to get a better sense of how to speed up the timelines around efforts to return to the Moon and look beyond. The meeting took place Jan. 13, ‘to understand the latest plans to accelerate NASA’s Artemis timeline,’ Isaacman said via social media.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)
AIAA Congratulates Jared Isaacman as NASA Administrator
FROM THE INSTITUTE
Jared Isaacman was confirmed as NASA Administrator on 17 December 2025. “Congratulations to Jared Isaacman on his confirmation as NASA’s 15th administrator. His leadership comes at a pivotal time for the agency as it advances ambitious exploration goals, strengthens partnerships across government and industry, and delivers scientific and technological value for the nation.”
AIAA Statement on Senate Confirmation of Jared Isaacman as NASA Administrator
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 17, 2025 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) issued the following statement from AIAA CEO Clay Mowry on the United States Senate’s confirmation of Jared Isaacman as NASA Administrator:
“Congratulations to Jared Isaacman on his confirmation as NASA’s 15th administrator. His leadership comes at a pivotal time for the agency as it advances ambitious exploration goals, strengthens partnerships across government and industry, and delivers scientific and technological value for the nation.
Administrator Isaacman brings a unique combination of operational and leadership experience to NASA. As a flight-rated pilot and commander of two commercial space missions, he understands the demands of human flight firsthand, both in the atmosphere and in low Earth orbit. We appreciated working with him during ASCEND 2021, where he spoke after his first space flight. Combined with his record of entrepreneurial leadership, his background positions him well to guide NASA through an increasingly complex technical and policy environment.
AIAA looks forward to continuing our long-standing relationship with NASA under his leadership. Our community remains committed to supporting the agency’s mission by strengthening the aerospace workforce, advancing research and innovation, and sustaining U.S. leadership in civil space and aeronautics.”
Contact: Rebecca Gray, [email protected], 804-397-5270
About AIAA
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is the world’s largest aerospace technical society. With nearly 30,000 individual members from 91 countries, and 100 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. For more information, visit www.aiaa.org, and follow AIAA on X/Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
China Won’t Beat US in Getting to the Moon, NASA Administrator Says
SPACE reports, “NASA Administrator Bill Nelson is unconcerned that China will beat the United States in returning astronauts to the moon.” During a media teleconference on Tuesday, “Nelson dismissed concerns that the U.S. could lose the race to put human boots back on the moon.” Nelson said, “I do not have a concern that China is going to land before us. I think that China has a very aggressive plan. I think they would like to land before us, because that might give them some PR coup. But the fact is that I don’t think they will. I think it is true that their date that they announced keeps getting earlier. But specifically, with us landing in September of ‘26, that will be the first landing.”
Full Story (SPACE)
NASA Administrator to Speak With Roscosmos Counterpart Friday On Future of ISS
The Houston Chronicle reports that NASA astronaut Andrew Morgan and European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitano “on Friday will exit the confines of the International Space Station for the first of four spacewalks to fix a vital piece of hardware that was not designed to be repaired in space.” The astronauts will repair part of a failed cooling system on the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS). On Tuesday, NASA officials indicated that “the technical challenges of the mission…rival those of any previous spacewalk, including the Hubble Space Telescope between 1993 and 2009.” NASA program manager Ken Bollweg said, “When they get into this area behind the debris shield, they’re very constrained, they’ll get in there with their hands but then their head, their shoulders, the rest of the suit, the work station, everything is interfering with what they’re doing within that tiny space.”
Full Story (Houston Chronicle)
AIAA Statement on Senate Confirmation of the Honorable Bill Nelson as NASA Administrator
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 29, 2021 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) congratulates the Honorable Bill Nelson on being confirmed as the 14th NASA Administrator. AIAA Executive Director Dan Dumbacher made the following statement upon Nelson’s confirmation:
“On behalf of the Institute’s nearly 30,000 professional members, I would like to congratulate former Senator Bill Nelson on his confirmation as NASA’s 14th administrator. The agency is a source of meaningful inspiration for our country and for the world. We see significant opportunities for NASA to continue its important mission pushing the boundaries of space, aeronautics, and research and development on many fronts. Under Administrator Nelson’s leadership, we anticipate NASA will benefit from his extensive background and many bipartisan relationships as a former lawmaker.
Administrator Nelson has been a champion of our nation’s space and aeronautics programs during his many years serving in the U.S. Congress. He brings a unique perspective to the role, having spent six days in space on the Space Shuttle during mission STS-61-C, one of only two members of Congress with this distinction. He is a qualified and capable leader. As an elected official from the state of Florida, he understands the economic impact of the aerospace industry on our communities and the country, as well as the educational impact on our workforce. His knowledge and appreciation of the agency, combined with his legislative experience while working directly with elected officials at the state and federal level, will serve NASA well.
AIAA looks forward to supporting Administrator Nelson in his new role as we strive to maintain our nation’s leadership in space exploration and scientific discovery, while also helping make critical advances in technology development and aeronautics research.”
AIAA Media Contact: Rebecca B. Gray, [email protected], 804-397-5270.
About AIAA
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is the world’s largest aerospace technical society. With nearly 30,000 individual members from 91 countries, and 100 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. For more information, visit aiaa.org, or follow AIAA on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn.