Trump Nominates Elon Musk-Allied Billionaire Jared Isaacman As Next NASA Chief
US President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday announced that he plans to nominate billionaire astronaut Jared Isaacman to lead the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
Isaacman, 41, is the founder and CEO of the Pennsylvania-based payment processing company Shift4. He has flown to space twice on commercial SpaceX missions, but has not worked at NASA or in the federal government. He has an estimated net worth of $1.9 billion, according to Forbes.
“I am delighted to nominate Jared Isaacman, an accomplished business leader, philanthropist, pilot, and astronaut, as Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Jared will drive NASA’s mission of discovery and inspiration, paving the way for groundbreaking achievements in Space science, technology, and exploration,” he said in a post on his Truth Social platform.
Trump credited Isaacman for demonstrating “exceptional leadership” and mentioned his work in Shift4 and Draken International, a defence aerospace company that supported the Pentagon. “Jared’s passion for Space, astronaut experience, and dedication to pushing the boundaries of exploration, unlocking the mysteries of the universe, and advancing the new Space economy, make him ideally suited to lead NASA into a bold new Era,” he said.
Isaacman said he was honoured to receive Trump’s nomination and said he was passionate about America leading the “most incredible adventure in human history”. He pledged to lead NASA to explore all possibilities in space exploration and create a thriving space economy.
“With the support of President Trump, I can promise you this: We will never again lose our ability to journey to the stars and never settle for second place. We will inspire children, yours and mine, to look up and dream of what is possible. Americans will walk on the Moon and Mars and in doing so, we will make life better here on Earth,” he said.
Isaacman, a business associate of SpaceX owner Elon Musk, is the first non-professional astronaut to travel into space via SpaceX’s private Polaris Dawn mission in 2023. He also funded the Inspiration4 mission, the first all-civilian spaceflight operated by SpaceX to orbit the Earth, in September 2021.
If Isaacman is confirmed, he will take control of NASA at a crucial time for the aerospace agency as the US has planned key missions help return humans to the moon in the coming years. The US is facing increasing competition in its lunar exploration missions as China has made significant progress in its space programme.
He will replace Bill Nelson, who has occupied the role since May 2021. Nelson represented Florida as a senator from 2001 to 2019, and as a member of the US House of Representatives from 1979 to 1991.