Isaacman Faces Senate Questions, and Political Change and Space Commerce

NASA Administrator nominee Jared Isaacman meets with the U.S. Senate, and Political Change and Space Commerce. Here are some of the top stories from The Journal of Space Commerce this week.

The U.S. Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation committee held a hearing Wednesday to consider the nomination of Entrepreneur Jared Isaacman to be the next NASA Administrator. While Isaacman by his own admission to the committee is not a scientist or particularly political, he has traveled to space ... paying his own way.

Isaacman has flown on two private space missions, commanding both the Inspiration4 mission and the Polaris Dawn mission. On that later flight, he became the first private citizen to conduct an extra-vehicular activity. His nomination became official on January 20, 2025, the day President Trump was inaugurated. In his opening prepared remarks to the committee, he outlined his vision for NASA, while acknowledging the agency has challenges.

"Presidents have called for a return to the Moon and a path to Mars since 1989, and well over $100 billion has been spent without the intended results," he said. "Most programs ... new telescopes, rovers and x-planes, entire space ships ... are over budget and behind schedule. And this is discouraging, because when people look up at the stars and wonder what is out there, they want those answers today, and not decades down the road.

"And I know that it is not lost on the members of this committee that we have geopolitical rivals moving at impressive speeds. It's imperative for our national security, our pride and all that we stand to gain in exploration that we never come in second place," Isaacman said.

Following opening remarks Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), the ranking Democrat on the panel, asked Isaacman about his thoughts on firm, fixed-price contracts that are often awarded by NASA to private companies.

"Having run a defense aerospace company for more than a decade, I generally am a fan, of firm, fixed-price contracts and being held accountable for what we bid. In terms of the difference between NASA's in-house expertise and what commercial industry is able to provide ... I believe NASA should, again, per my prepared remarks, on the near impossible that no one else is capable of doing. And when they figure it out, commercial industry takes over and brings the rest of the world to follow," Isaacman said.

If confirmed, Isaacman said the goals of the agency would be for American astronauts to lead the way in the ultimate high ground of space; to ignite a thriving economy in Low Earth Orbit, and: to be a force-multiplier for science. The hearing concluded without a vote on Isaacman's nomination.

-0-

According to a new report from global technology intelligence firm ABI Research, the total number of active LEO (including VLEO) satellites in operational orbit has the potential to increase from 7,473 in 2023 to approximately 42,600 by 2032. As China and Europe intensify their efforts and make significant investments in the LEO satellite market, there is a growing emphasis on space technologies for both national and commercial strategies. With more companies entering this sector, there are vast opportunities to expand across various industry verticals to capture the potential the space domain offers.

Many satellite network operators are seizing this opportunity to invest in their networks or collaborate with technology companies. In the AI and edge processing space, companies like AWS, Spire Global, Telesat Lightspeed, D-Orbit, Anduril, and Ubotica are exploring new opportunities to deliver advanced systems that integrate these technologies into satellite networks.

Chinese operators such as Spacesa