Leaked Plan From Trump’s Potential NASA Head Outlines Sweeping “Project Athena” to Remake Space Agency

A leaked 62-page manifesto for the future of NASA, dubbed “Project Athena,” is making waves in Washington, DC.

The document, which was obtained by Politico and Ars Technica this week, was drafted by former NASA administrator nominee and billionaire SpaceX tourist Jared Isaacman earlier this year. It suggests making sweeping changes to the space agency — by tripling down on its ties to the private sector and running it “more like a business,” per Politico — that are stirring serious concerns among NASA insiders.

The plan could complicate Isaacman’s attempts to be re-nominated for the position of NASA administrator, serving as political leverage to keep interim NASA administrator and transportation secretary Sean Duffy in the driver’s seat.

However, that’s just one interpretation of the current sentiment on Capitol Hill. The plan, which according to Ars “reflects the priorities of the Trump administration for human space exploration,” could alternately swing the balance of power the other way, potentially opening the door for Isaacman once more.

The news highlights a precarious gap in the vision for the future of NASA between the White House and Congress — a standoff that has thrown the agency, which still doesn’t have a long-term leader even ten months into Trump’s second term, into chaos.

Isaacman, who was handpicked by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, was initially the clear frontrunner for the position of NASA administrator. He gained substantial support in Congress for his nomination, despite possible conflicts of interest due to his close ties to SpaceX. However, in late May, he was kicked to the curb by president Trump, closely following a major falling out between him and Musk.

According to Politico, Isaacman’s team gave the 62-page document — a shortened version of a much longer draft — to Duffy in August.

The intention behind the move remains somewhat hazy. Is Isaacman trying to get his name back out there — or was more of a “courtesy” to Duffy’s team, as Ars suggests?

And could Duffy be using the document to undermine Isaacman’s attempts to be re-nominated by arguing that the proposed changes go against the interests of NASA and its contractors? According to Ars, Duffy has been “trying to paint Isaacman as someone who would come in and force big changes on NASA and its traditional space contractors,” while doubling down on Musk’s SpaceX.

As outlined in the document, Project Athena would largely align with the Trump administration’s intent to gut or streamline huge swathes of the space agency and even recommends taking “NASA out of the taxpayer funded climate science business and [leaving] it for academia to determine.”

It also calls on NASA to cancel its extremely expensive Moon rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS), after Artemis 3 — the first planned lunar landing in the Artemis program, currently slated for 2028 — which also aligns with the White House’s proposed changes to the program.

Politico characterizes the recommended changes as a “seismic shift in how the space agency has operated,” going as far as to suggest buying “science data from commercial companies instead of putting up its own satellites, referring to it a ‘science-as-a-service.’”

The proposed changes may not find much support from within NASA. Staffers have already balked at major cuts to the agency this year, triggering protests. One former NASA official described the proposals in the Project Athena document as “bizarre and careless,” per Politico. Another industry insider described the document as a “rookie move” and “presumptuous,” pointing out it would alienate Congress.

Lawmakers have stood firmly behind the SLS, for instance, allocating around $4.1 billion to use the rocket for Artemis 4 and 5 in Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill,” which passed over the summer.

More on NASA: NASA Staff Slam Leadership for “Complete Breakdown in Communication” Under Trump

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