COMMENTARY - After some back and forth, private astronaut Jared Isaacman will now lead NASA after all. Why not from the start?

The chances are good that Jared Isaacman will be NASA's next administrator. Donald Trump expressed his confidence in the entrepreneur and private astronaut on Tuesday. On his platform TruthSocial, Trump praised Isaacman's experience as an astronaut, his passion for space, and his desire to advance the new space economy. This, he said, makes him an ideal candidate to lead NASA into a bold new era.

Anyone who has followed the back-and-forth regarding the next NASA administrator might be rubbing their eyes in disbelief. Just in May, Trump withdrew Isaacman's nomination after he had been heard and endorsed by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Instead, Trump appointed his Secretary of Transportation, Sean Duffy, as interim administrator of NASA.

Trump's decision to revert to Isaacman can be interpreted as indecisiveness. However, it can also be acknowledged that the American president is capable of correcting his own mistakes when it serves the good of the country. There is a consensus across party lines that Isaacman possesses the necessary qualifications to get the directionless American space agency back on track.

In fact, things have been better for NASA. Many employees have left the American space agency in recent months. The Artemis program, intended to return the US to the moon, is plagued by delays; experts warn that the US could lose the race to the moon to China. Furthermore, the government's draft budget proposes a drastic cut to NASA's budget. In such a situation, NASA needs someone to lead it with a steady hand.

There are many reasons why the appointment of the NASA administrator has been dragging on for almost a year. The official reason given for the withdrawn nomination was that Isaacman had supported Democratic senators in the past. His close ties to Elon Musk were also cited. But behind the scenes, entirely different battles are raging.

Isaacman is considered a proponent of the commercialization of space. He wants NASA to make even greater use of the services of private companies like SpaceX or Blue Origin. During his testimony before the Senate committee in April, Isaacman refused to offer any guarantees for the Space Launch System, NASA's expensive launch vehicle. He indicated that he would favor cheaper alternatives after the Artemis 3 mission.

Contractors like Boeing and Northrop Grumman, who developed the Space Launch System for NASA and earn a great deal of money from it, are not happy to hear this. Resistance is also coming from within NASA itself. Some NASA space centers fear they could become redundant if NASA delegates rocket construction to private companies. According to research by Ars Technica, these circles support interim NASA administrator Sean Duffy. The ambitious politician is rumored to have aspirations of taking over the position permanently.

The battle behind the scenes is being fought fiercely. An internal document recently surfaced in which Isaacman detailed his plans for modernizing NASA. This was apparently intended to turn public opinion against Isaacman, who is said to have met with Trump for meals several times in recent weeks, a move interpreted as a sign of renewed rapprochement.

What prompted Trump to change his mind about Isaacman is unknown. Ultimately, however, it's irrelevant. What matters now is that Isaacman is confirmed by the Senate as NASA administrator as quickly as possible. Every additional month that NASA is without leadership is a month too long.