Isaacman and Duffy are playing a ‘Game of Thrones’ for control of NASA

A weeks-long “Game of Thrones” struggle for control of NASA is still ongoing. In one corner is Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy. In the other corner is billionaire private space traveler Jared Isaacman.

It all started when President Trump abruptly withdrew the nomination of Isaacman to be NASA administrator. A month or so later, Trump appointed Duffy, the secretary of Transportation, to be acting NASA administrator pending the selection of a permanent space agency chief.

Duffy’s tenure as a caretaker administrator continued for a time without controversy, with him occasionally showing up on television to tout the Artemis program and express confidence that NASA would beat China back to the moon. He also announced an initiative to build a small nuclear power plant on the lunar surface.

Things began to change when the media reported that Isaacman had met with Trump several times to discuss space policy and the possibility of the billionaire space traveler’s renomination for NASA administrator. Duffy interviewed Isaacman too, a meeting described as a “tense examination of the fintech billionaire’s vision for the agency and the role companies like Elon Musk’s SpaceX will play in its future.”

Duffy suddenly appeared on television to announce that the contract for the Human Landing System that will take Americans back to the lunar surface will be reopened. SpaceX is taking too long to develop its version. Moreover, the Starship-based Human Landing System was too complex to be ready for a lunar surface mission in time to beat a presumed Chinese moon mission.

This announcement caused Musk to hit the roof. He posted a number of insulting messages on X, attacking Duffy’s intelligence and claiming that, compared to other companies, SpaceX was moving at “lightning speed” to develop the Human Landing System.

Curiously, White House insiders began to turn on Duffy, blaming him for starting a fight with an on-again-off-again Trump ally whose deep pockets would be needed during the 2026 midterms. The rift that occurred in the late spring between Trump and Musk has largely been healed.

Duffy stirred the pot further by proposing that NASA be folded into the Department of Transportation. The move would allow him to continue determining broad space policy. But it was considered by many a dumb idea, because much of what NASA does has nothing to do with transportation.

In the meantime, Isaacman was playing things low key. Although he had given some interviews when his nomination was withdrawn that suggested a lack of acrimony, he has said nothing about the prospect of his being renominated once the rumors started in September.

Others, however, were quite vocal in their support for Isaacman as NASA administrator. Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) and MAGA influencer Laura Loomer have been conspicuous in advancing Isaacman. The billionaire private space traveler’s credentials spoke overwhelmingly in his favor, just as they did when he was first nominated.

Trump is the only person who can determine the winner of the space-oriented race to the Iron Throne. He is said to personally like Duffy. But he also seems to have warmed to Isaacman, whom he once disdained, incorrectly, as a Democrat.

The argument for choosing Isaacman, the sooner the better, is overwhelming. Having built two multibillion-dollar companies and privately financed two space flights, he has a proven record of making the near impossible happen. As he explained to Ars Technica’s Eric Berger back in June, Isaacman has a vision for NASA and the Artemis program that is at once awesome and doable.

Trump’s withdrawal of Isaacman’s nomination was a serious mistake. It has caused months of uncertainty and turmoil at NASA that it can ill afford with China surging ahead in the new race for the moon. His renominating Isaacman will go a long way toward rectifying that mistake.

The second race to the moon is important because of who gets bragging rights. A Chinese win will be a huge embarrassment for the United States in general and Trump in particular.

Isaacman may or may not be able to avoid an American defeat in the new moon race. But he will almost certainly be able to enable what follows, a permanent NASA lunar base and all that implies, not to mention American boots on the Martian soil sometime in the 2030s.

And Duffy will still be able to do great things as Secretary of Transportation, particularly fixing the ailing air traffic control system; which is no little thing.

Mark R. Whittington, who writes frequently about space policy, has published a political study of space exploration entitled “Why is It So Hard to Go Back to the Moon?” as well as “The Moon, Mars and Beyond” and, most recently, “Why is America Going Back to the Moon?” He blogs at Curmudgeons Corner.