President-elect Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he plans to nominate billionaire entrepreneur Jared Isaacman to lead NASA.
“Jared will drive NASA’s mission of discovery and inspiration, paving the way for groundbreaking achievements in Space science, technology, and exploration,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
Isaacman, 41, is the founder and CEO of the 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. Isaacman funded both of those spaceflights himself, for an undisclosed sum.
In a statement, Isaacman said he was “honored” to receive Trump’s nomination.
“Having been fortunate to see our amazing planet from space, I am passionate about America leading the most incredible adventure in human history,” he wrote on X.
Isaacman has close ties to Elon Musk, the billionaire CEO of Tesla and SpaceX. Trump chose Musk, a close ally, to co-lead a new “Department of Government Efficiency.” Musk on Wednesday congratulated Isaacman in a post on X.
Isaacman in 2022 partnered with Musk and SpaceX to pay for and launch the Polaris Program, a series of three private spaceflights to test technologies and maneuvers for exploration beyond Earth’s orbit. Isaacman was one of four private citizens sent into orbit on the first of the spaceflights, known as Polaris Dawn.
The five-day mission, in September, included the first all-civilian spacewalk.
Isaacman also bankrolled and flew on SpaceX’s first all-civilian mission to orbit in 2021.
If Isaacman is confirmed, he will take control of NASA at a pivotal time for the agency, with key missions planned to help return humans to the moon in the coming years.
The United States has faced increasing competition in its efforts to go to the moon and establish a permanent presence on the lunar surface.
China has made significant progress with its space program in recent years and has said it intends to land Chinese astronauts on the moon by 2030. The country has already flown robotic spacecraft to the moon and returned the first samples from the moon’s far side. Chinese leaders have said they plan to eventually build a base on the lunar surface.
“I was born after the Moon landings; my children were born after the final space shuttle launch,” Isaacman said in his statement, adding: “I can promise you this: We will never again lose our ability to journey to the stars and never settle for second place … Americans will walk on the Moon and Mars and in doing so, we will make life better here on Earth.”
Trump’s selection of a relative outsider to lead NASA — along with Musk’s involvement with the incoming administration — may signal a move toward increased commercialization of NASA’s operations. Already, the space agency relies heavily on SpaceX and other commercial partners to launch its astronauts, cargo and spacecraft to the International Space Station and beyond.
NASA’s current administrator, Bill Nelson, has occupied the role since May 2021. Nelson represented Florida as a senator from 2001 to 2019, and as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1979 to 1991.
In 1986, Nelson became the second sitting member of Congress to fly in space, on the Space Shuttle Columbia’s STS-61C mission. Nelson and his astronaut crewmates conducted science experiments as they orbited Earth 98 times over six days.
Other previous NASA administrators have included former astronauts, scientists, engineers, military officials and politicians.
First appeared on www.nbcnews.com