CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — President-elect Donald Trump announced Wednesday that Jared Isaacman, a tech billionaire who purchased a SpaceX flight and performed the first private spacewalk, will lead NASA.
Isaacman, 41, the CEO and founder of a payment processing company, has collaborated extensively with SpaceX since his first chartered flight in 2021. That mission included contest winners, and he later conducted a spacewalk in September to test SpaceX’s new space suits.
If confirmed, Isaacman will succeed Bill Nelson, 82, a former Florida senator appointed by President Biden. Nelson, a former congressman, flew on the space shuttle Columbia in 1986, just before the Challenger disaster.
Isaacman expressed his honor at the nomination and his eagerness to serve, stating on X, “Having been fortunate to see our amazing planet from space, I am passionate about America leading the most incredible adventure in human history.”
Under Nelson’s leadership, NASA significantly progressed its moon landing program, Artemis, aiming to send four astronauts into lunar orbit as early as next year, followed by a moon landing.
SpaceX is vital to NASA’s lunar ambitions, using its Starship mega-rocket for astronaut transport. The rocket is currently undergoing testing in Texas.
SpaceX also transports astronauts and supplies to the International Space Station for NASA. While Boeing launched its first crew in June, significant issues with the Starliner capsule resulted in the astronauts’ extended stay at the station, requiring a SpaceX return flight in February. Their mission was originally scheduled for eight days.
NASA’s ongoing solar system exploration includes robotic missions to Europa and the Mars rover Perseverance’s sample collection.
Facing budgetary constraints, NASA is exploring more efficient and cost-effective methods for returning Martian samples to Earth, a process initially estimated at $11 billion and completion by 2040. The agency seeks collaboration with the private sector for solutions.
Musk lauded Isaacman on X, praising his “high ability and integrity.”
Isaacman, a fighter jet pilot known as “Rook,” has been a self-described “space geek” since childhood. He left high school at 16, obtained a GED, and founded Shift4 in his parents’ basement. He resides in eastern Pennsylvania with his family.
He set a world speed record in 2009 during a fundraising flight for Make-A-Wish and later established Draken International, a major private fighter jet fleet.
Isaacman has booked two more SpaceX flights, including commanding Starship’s first orbital mission.