Trump Boots Musk Ally, Rockets Sean Duffy To NASA’s Helm – Turbulence Awaits Space Agency

Sean Duffy

Washington: The man who rebuilt roads and reimagined air traffic now finds himself steering the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). President Donald Trump has appointed Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy as the interim chief of America’s space agency – a move that blindsided even close White House aides. The timing is dramatic. The circumstances? Even more so.

The U.S. president made the announcement late on July 9 on Truth Social, painting Duffy as a patriotic powerhouse who has “rebuilt our roads and bridges” and created “state-of-the-art Air Traffic Control systems”. With emoji-laden flair, he added, “He will be a fantastic leader of the ever more important Space Agency, even if only for a short period of time. Congratulations, and thank you, Sean.”

Duffy echoed the sentiment moments later on X, declaring, “Honored to accept this mission. Time to take over space. Let’s launch.”

 Honored to accept this mission. Time to take over space. Let’s launch. pic.twitter.com/ZBoEgPnwz4

— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) July 10, 2025

But behind the fanfare lies a story packed with politics, power plays and a billionaire falling out. Just weeks earlier, Trump pulled the nomination of Jared Isaacman – a private astronaut, SpaceX collaborator and CEO of Shift4 – who had been set for a Senate floor vote. The decision sent ripples through both Washington and the commercial spaceflight industry.

Isaacman’s ties to Elon Musk proved to be his undoing. Once Trump’s favorite entrepreneur, Musk fell out of favour during disputes over the president’s domestic spending bill. “I thought it inappropriate that a very close friend of Elon, who was in the Space Business, run NASA, when NASA is such a big part of Elon’s corporate life,” Trump wrote.

He also accused Isaacman of being a “blue blooded Democrat” who had never supported the Republican cause.

With Isaacman out and no Senate-confirmed replacement in sight, Duffy’s interim assignment plugs a vacuum that had grown tense. He replaces acting NASA chief Janet Petro, who had led the agency since January.

But Duffy is not inheriting a launch pad. He is walking into a blast zone.

NASA faces some of its toughest challenges in decades. The agency is still on the clock to land astronauts on the moon by 2027 and accelerate its path to Mars. Yet, proposed White House budgets have stripped NASA to its bones, leaving it with the lowest staffing and funding levels since the early 1960s. Reports have also surfaced of potential layoffs affecting over 2,100 senior staff.

Space insiders remain split over the move. To his credit, Isaacman held a measured tone after the appointment. “Short of a new nominee, this was a great move. NASA needs political leadership from someone the President trusts and has confidence in,” he wrote on X.

Duffy’s qualifications in space science remain unclear, but his loyalty is not in question. It seems that is enough for now.

The White House, the DOT and the NASA have all remained silent on how long Duffy will serve or what long-term plans exist for the agency’s future leadership. As one former NASA official put it bluntly off the record, “NASA’s next rocket launch is not to space but through Washington’s atmosphere.”

The countdown has started, and all eyes are on Duffy’s launch trajectory in a seat no one expected him to take.