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Senate Committee Probes Jared Isaacman on Project Athena, NASA Science Cuts and Ties to SpaceX
Summary
At a Commerce Committee hearing, nominee Jared Isaacman pledged to protect NASA’s Artemis schedule and continuous low‑Earth‑orbit presence while facing sustained questioning about a draft ‘Project Athena’ plan, proposed science funding cuts and his financial ties to SpaceX and political donations.
Jared Isaacman, President Trump’s nominee to lead NASA, told the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee that he would prioritize returning Americans to the moon and maintaining a continuous U.S. presence in low Earth orbit, while defending a draft policy plan and addressing lawmakers’ conflict‑of‑interest concerns.
Isaacman opened by calling for “urgency and extreme focus” on Artemis missions and said the agency must “never accept a gap” in capabilities after the International Space Station retires. He told the committee he supports using a mix of heavy launch vehicles, commercial partners and investments in propulsion and surface power to sustain lunar and deep‑space missions.
The hearing shifted repeatedly to questions about a 62‑page draft labeled in the record as “Project Athena,” which Isaacman said he authored.…
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