Copyright Ars Technica
In recent weeks, copies of an intriguing policy document have started to spread among space lobbyists on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. The document bears the title “Athena,” and it purports to summarize the actions that private astronaut Jared Isaacman would have taken, were his nomination to become NASA administrator confirmed. The 62-page plan is notable both for the ideas to remake NASA that it espouses as well as the manner in which it has been leaked to the space community. After receiving a copy of this plan from an industry official, I spoke with multiple sources over the weekend to understand what is happening. Based upon this reporting there are clearly multiple layers to the story, which I want to unpack. In the big picture, this leak appears to be part of a campaign by interim NASA Administrator Sean Duffy to either hold onto the high-profile job or, at the very least, prejudice the re-nomination of Isaacman to lead the space agency. Additionally, it is also being spread by legacy aerospace contractors who seek to protect their interests from the Trump administration’s goal of controlling spending and leaning into commercial space. The Athena plan’s origin The leaked document is 62 pages long and, according to sources, represents a pared-down version of a more comprehensive “Athena” plan devised by Isaacman and his advisors early in 2025, after President Trump nominated him to become NASA administrator. The Athena plan lays out a blueprint for Isaacman’s tenure at NASA, seeking to return the space agency to “achieving the near impossible,” focusing on leading the world in human space exploration, igniting the space economy, and becoming a force multiplier for science. Isaacman’s nomination was pulled in late May, largely for political reasons. Trump then appointed his Secretary of Transportation, Sean Duffy, to oversee NASA on an interim basis in early July. As a courtesy, in August, Isaacman’s team edited a shorter version of the plan down to 62 pages and gave a copy to Duffy and his chief of staff, Pete Meachum. According to sources, these were the only copies of the pared-down Athena plan distributed, so the initial leak came from either Duffy, Meachum, or someone acting on their behalf several weeks ago. Since then the document has been percolating among space lobbyists and policy officials. In recent days it has also been leaked to several reporters via multiple channels. Two sources indicated that Duffy shared the plan with traditional space contractors as part of an effort to build support for his remaining time at NASA, perhaps permanently, as administrator. Duffy has sought to hold onto the job even as Trump has begun to reconsider his decision on Isaacman, and the president appeared to be moving toward renominating the private astronaut and billionaire to lead the space agency. Unhappy in Alabama After they received a copy of the Athena plan, the Alabama delegation—which represents Marshall Space Flight Center and strongly favors continuation of the Space Launch System rocket—generally came to favor Duffy’s candidacy. They, along with traditional space contractors and Duffy himself, have been suggesting that re-nominating Isaacman would be a “giveaway” to SpaceX. Talking points that accompany the leaked document cherry pick lines from the plan. For example, there is a suggestion in the plan to evaluate the effectiveness of the Pleiades supercomputer at NASA’s Ames Research Facility (the Pleiades supercomputer, built in 2008 and upgraded in 2016, currently ranks as the 218th most powerful supercomputer in the world). This is being interpreted by Isaacman’s critics as a call to shut down Ames. There are similar instances in which assertions are made about what the plan says—Isaacman wants to end NASA’s astronaut program, or close the Glenn Research Center—which are not actually borne out in the document. Rather, a careful reading indicates that Isaacman wanted to take a hard look at what NASA has been doing in recent years, how it is spending its money, and whether it is seeing returns on this investment. With Athena, Isaacman would attempt to lean into the entire commercial space industry as a means to further stretch public money and maintain an advantage on competitors in space. This certainly would threaten traditional space contractors who are now leaking the document. What does this all mean? The leaks of the plan underscore the extent to which Duffy is battling to keep his job. Politically connected sources have said he wants to remain in the interim position at least through the Artemis II mission next year, which will put NASA squarely in the limelight and, if all goes well, reflect well upon the agency’s leadership. In recent weeks Duffy has been building ties with the space industry, trying to paint Isaacman as someone who would come in and force big changes on NASA and its traditional space contractors. There is also an effort to paint Isaacman as a stooge of Elon Musk and his company, SpaceX. However the Athena plan, read in full, does not seem to support the conclusion that Isaacman has a pro-SpaceX bias. Instead, Isaacman seems equally bullish on Blue Origin. Ironically, the plan reflects the priorities of the Trump administration for human space exploration. The Athena plan seeks to transition away from cost-plus contracts for the Space Launch System rocket and Orion, while looking at repurposing elements of the Gateway for a nuclear-powered tug vehicle. These are all in line with the changes sought in the Trump administration’s proposed budget for NASA. This stands in contrast to recent discussions Duffy has had with industry, in which he has expressed a willingness to maintain the status quo.
