U.S. President Donald Trump announced Wednesday evening the appointment of Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy as NASA’s interim administrator, replacing Janet Petro, who had been serving as Acting Administrator since Jan. 20.
Duffy’s appointment comes more than a month after President Trump rescinded his earlier nomination of tech billionaire Jared Isaacman. Isaacman, an entrepreneur, pilot, and two-time commander of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft, had his nomination withdrawn just days before a scheduled Senate confirmation vote. The withdrawal was linked to Isaacman’s previous donations to certain Democratic Party members, despite these contributions being publicly declared months in advance.