Former space shuttle astronaut confirmed as next Nasa administrator

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Centre in Cape Canaveral (Chris O’Meara/AP)

The US Senate has confirmed former Florida senator Bill Nelson, who once flew on the space shuttle, to be the next Nasa administrator.

Politicians agreed to President Joe Biden’s choice to lead the space agency by consensus late on Thursday, without a roll call vote.