Six weeks after he terminated the nomination of Jared Isaacman to become NASA Administrator, President Trump moved on Wednesday evening to install a new temporary leader for the space agency.
The newly named interim administrator, Sean Duffy, already has a full portfolio: He is serving as the Secretary of Transportation, a Cabinet-level position that oversees 55,000 employees at thirteen agencies, including the Federal Aviation Administration.
“Sean is doing a TREMENDOUS job in handling our Country’s Transportation Affairs, including creating a state-of-the-art Air Traffic Control systems, while at the same time rebuilding our roads and bridges, making them efficient, and beautiful, again,” Trump wrote on his social media network Wednesday evening. “He will be a fantastic leader of the ever more important Space Agency, even if only for a short period of time.”
In response to this post, Duffy wrote on X, “Honored to accept this mission. Time to take over space. Let’s launch.”
The idea of the Secretary of Transportation also running NASA may seem like an odd choice, but in some ways the appointment of Duffy makes sense for the President. Whether it is beneficial to the space agency remains to be seen, but two industry sources speaking confidentially said they would not immediately dismiss the prospect.
Who is Sean Duffy?
Duffy has a colorful background, starring on the Real World: Boston reality television show in 1997, and serving as a commentator on ESPN. A Republican, he served in the US House of Representatives from 2011 to 2019. He is married and has nine children.
Although he does not have a space background, Duffy has shown an interest in spaceflight since becoming FAA Administrator. He watched from NASA Headquarters the Crew 9 mission’s splashdown on March 18, which brought Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams back to Earth after a prolonged stay in space. He also had expressed an interest in attending the forthcoming Crew 11 launch at the end of this month.