NASA chief Jared Isaacman hints at campaign to make Pluto a planet again
The NASA administrator’s latest remarks in support of reexamining Pluto’s status come 20 years after the orb was downgraded to a dwarf planet by the International Astronomical Union
Could Pluto regain its planetary status? On Tuesday, NASA administrator Jared Isaacman expressed his support for the idea during a Senate committee hearing, stating, “I am very much in the camp of making Pluto a planet again.” He mentioned that NASA is working on scientific papers to escalate this discussion within the scientific community.
Pluto was initially classified as a planet following its discovery in 1930. However, a change in the consensus definition of a planet led the International Astronomical Union (IAU)—the leading global organization for astronomers—to reclassify Pluto as a dwarf planet in 2006. This decision sparked intense debates among astronomers about the precise definition of a planet.
Interest in Pluto’s status has been renewed after President Donald Trump suggested he might reclassify Pluto as a planet through an executive order. However, the classification of celestial bodies does not fall under presidential authority; it is the IAU that holds the ultimate authority in naming space objects and setting astronomical standards, including defining what constitutes a planet. It is currently unclear what new scientific initiatives NASA might be pursuing regarding Pluto, as the agency has not responded to requests for comment.
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In the same Senate testimony, Isaacman revealed that the launch schedule for NASA’s upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope might be moved up by a month. While the current target is September, Isaacman hinted that the launch could happen as early as August. The telescope is designed to provide insights into mysterious forces like dark energy and planets outside our solar system. Isaacman emphasized its role in identifying potentially habitable worlds. He also confirmed plans to launch the Space Reactor-1 Freedom mission to Mars in 2028, which aims to test nuclear fission for powering interplanetary spacecraft.
While Isaacman was commended from both sides for the success of the recent Artemis II mission to the moon, he faced questions from Democratic committee members over his support for Trump’s budget proposal, which proposes a 46 percent cut to NASA’s science program. Senator Chris Coons of Delaware highlighted the proposal to eliminate funding for NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement, which provides learning opportunities for students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields through various grants and programs.
Isaacman defended the decision by noting that “every one of the components that’s in that office is also funded through the mission directorates. So we have internship programs we have grant funding to universities in every one of the mission directorates.”
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