Space Updates: NASA Administrator, Reusable Rockets, and Satellite Cell Service GUEST NAME: Bob Zimmerman Bob Zimmerman discusses the potential renomination of billionaire Jared Isaacman as NASA administrator, noting Isaacman's previous private manned sp
The John Batchelor Show
John Batchelor
4.5 • 2.8K Ratings
🗓️ 11 October 2025
⏱️ 14 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Space Updates: NASA Administrator, Reusable Rockets, and Satellite Cell Service
Bob Zimmerman discusses the potential renomination of billionaire Jared Isaacman as NASA administrator, noting Isaacman's previous private manned space missions. He highlights Stoke Space raising nearly $1 billion to develop its fully reusable Nova rocket, potentially cheaper than SpaceX's offerings. AST SpaceMobile signed Verizon (adding to AT&T) to use its "Bluebirds" satellites for direct cell phone service, eliminating dead spots. SpaceX recently flew a Falcon booster for its 29th flight. Congressional cuts zeroed out 15 potential space missions
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is CBS On the World. |
| 0:07.6 | I'm John Batchel. |
| 0:08.6 | Bob Zimmerman, he keeps the website behind the black. |
| 0:11.6 | And we're going to Washington, where there's an unusual event, which is reconsidering the administrator for NASA. |
| 0:20.4 | You will all recall the backstory. |
| 0:22.6 | Bob, a very good evening to you. |
| 0:24.0 | The backstory is Jared Isaacman was nominated, |
| 0:27.9 | was about to enter into the nomination process with the U.S. Senate, |
| 0:32.5 | and then that's part of the backstory. |
| 0:35.2 | What else? |
| 0:35.8 | Good evening, Bob. |
| 0:37.0 | Good evening, John. Well, the full backstories, he was nominated by Trump to be a NASA administrator in December of 24. |
| 0:46.5 | For those that don't remember, Jared Isaacman's billionaire, who flew twice on his own private manned missions using a dragon capsule on a Falcon 9. |
| 0:55.9 | He even did a spacewalk on the second mission. |
| 0:58.8 | So he's a space cadet. |
| 1:00.0 | He's also, though, a billionaire. |
| 1:03.1 | And he was nominated by Trump to be head of NASA in December. |
| 1:06.8 | He went through the committee hearing processes, the vetting, the whole deal. |
| 1:11.0 | He sold off some of his companies so there wouldn't be complex of interest. |
| 1:15.0 | And then he was scheduled to have a Senate vote in early June to get him nominated. |
| 1:21.6 | And all signs said he would be easily nominated. |
| 1:24.5 | But just before that Senate vote, Trump suddenly withdrew his nomination, |
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