| Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration | |
|---|---|
 NASA seal Constituent part of the administrator's standard | |
 | |
| Reports to | President |
| Seat | Washington, D.C. |
| Nominator | Thepresident with Senate advice and consent |
| Term length | At the pleasure of thepresident |
| Constituting instrument | 51 U.S.C. § 20111 |
| Inaugural holder | Thomas Keith Glennan |
| Salary | $221,900 annually (Executive Schedule II) |
| Website | Official website |
Theadministrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the highest-ranking official ofNASA, the nationalspace agency of the United States. The administrator is NASA's chief decision maker, responsible for providing clarity to the agency's vision and serving as a source of internal leadership within NASA. The office holder also has an important place withinUnited States space policy,[1] and is assisted bya deputy administrator.
The administrator is appointed by thepresident of the United States, with the advice and consent of theUnited States Senate, and thereafter serves at the president's pleasure.Sean Duffy, the currentUnited States secretary of transportation, has served as the acting administrator since July 9, 2025.
The administrator serves as NASA's chief executive officer, accountable to the president for the leadership necessary to achieve the agency's mission. This leadership requires articulating the agency's vision, setting its programmatic and budget priorities and internal policies, and assessing agency performance.[2]
The first administrator of NASA was Dr.T. Keith Glennan; during his term he brought together the disparate projects in space development research in the US.[3]Daniel Goldin held the post for the longest term (nearly 10 years), and is best known for pioneering the"faster, better, cheaper" approach to space programs.[4] The only person to hold the post twice isJames C. Fletcher, who returned to NASA following theChallenger disaster.[5]
The current administrator is currentUnited States secretary of transportationSean Duffy, who was designated by PresidentDonald Trump on July 9, 2025 as acting administrator. He replacedJanet Petro, who served as acting administrator following the stepping down ofBiden-era headBill Nelson on January 20, 2025.[6] Entrepreneur and commercial astronautJared Isaacman was nominated by Trump (while he was president-elect) on December 4, 2024,[7] but his nomination was withdrawn on May 31,[8] reportedly because of his connections toElon Musk and donations towardsDemocratic, anti-Trump politicians.[9]
| No. | Portrait | Name | Took office | Left office | Days served | President serving under | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | T. Keith Glennan | August 19, 1958 | January 20, 1961 | 885 | Dwight D. Eisenhower | |
| - |  | Hugh Dryden | January 11, 1961 | February 14, 1961 | 24 | John F. Kennedy | |
| 2 |  | James E. Webb | February 14, 1961 | October 7, 1968 | 1,035 | ||
| 1,781 (2,816 total) | Lyndon B. Johnson | ||||||
| 3 |  | Thomas O. Paine | October 8, 1968 | March 21, 1969 | 104 | ||
| 60 | Richard Nixon | ||||||
| March 21, 1969 | September 15, 1970 | 543 (707 total) | |||||
| - |  | George Low | September 16, 1970 | April 26, 1971 | 222 | ||
| 4 |  | James C. Fletcher | April 27, 1971 | May 1, 1977 | 1,200 | ||
| 895 | Gerald Ford | ||||||
| 101 (3258 total) | Jimmy Carter | ||||||
| - |  | Alan M. Lovelace | May 2, 1977 | June 20, 1977 | 49 | ||
| 5 |  | Robert A. Frosch | June 21, 1977 | January 20, 1981 | 1,309 | ||
| - | | Alan M. Lovelace | January 21, 1981 | July 10, 1981 | 171 (220 total) | Ronald Reagan | |
| 6 |  | James M. Beggs | July 10, 1981 | December 4, 1985 | 1,608 | ||
| - |  | William Graham | December 4, 1985 | May 11, 1986 | 158 | ||
| 7 | | James C. Fletcher | May 12, 1986 | April 8, 1989 | 984 | ||
| 78 (3258 total) | George H. W. Bush | ||||||
| - |  | Dale D. Myers | April 8, 1989 | May 13, 1989 | 35 | ||
| 8 |  | Richard H. Truly | May 14, 1989 | June 30, 1989 | 47 | ||
| July 1, 1989 | March 31, 1992 | 1,004 (1,052 total) | |||||
| 9 |  | Daniel Goldin | April 1, 1992 | November 17, 2001 | 294 | ||
| 2,922 | Bill Clinton | ||||||
| 301 (3,517 total) | George W. Bush | ||||||
| - |  | Daniel Mulville | November 19, 2001 | December 21, 2001 | 32 | ||
| 10 |  | Sean O'Keefe | December 21, 2001 | February 11, 2005 | 1,148 | ||
| - | .jpg) | Frederick D. Gregory | February 11, 2005 | April 14, 2005 | 62 | ||
| 11 |  | Michael D. Griffin | April 14, 2005 | January 20, 2009 | 1,377 | ||
| - | .jpg) | Christopher Scolese | January 20, 2009 | July 17, 2009 | 178 | Barack Obama | |
| 12 |  | Charles Bolden | July 17, 2009 | January 20, 2017 | 2,744 | ||
| - |  | Robert M. Lightfoot Jr. | January 20, 2017 | April 23, 2018 | 458 | Donald Trump | |
| 13 | .jpg) | Jim Bridenstine | April 23, 2018 | January 20, 2021 | 1,003 | ||
| - |  | Steve Jurczyk | January 20, 2021 | May 3, 2021 | 103 | Joe Biden | |
| 14 | .jpg) | Bill Nelson | May 3, 2021 | January 20, 2025 | 1,358 | ||
| - |  | Janet Petro | January 20, 2025 | July 9, 2025 | 170 | Donald Trump | |
| - | | Sean Duffy | July 9, 2025 | Incumbent | 138 | ||
| - | .jpg) | Jared Isaacman | - | Nominee | - | ||
The line of succession for the administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration is as follows:[10]
In the event of there being no deputy administrator of NASA, the associate administrator will serve as acting administrator.
