A billionaire tech entrepreneur and private astronaut is Donald Trump’s choice for the next NASA chief.
The president-elect announced via social media today (Dec. 4) that he has picked Jared Isaacman, the founder and CEO of payment-processing company Shift4 Payments, for the job of NASA administrator.
Isaacman has spaceflight experience: He has funded and commanded two groundbreaking private missions to Earth orbit, both of which flew with SpaceX hardware.
“Jared will drive NASA’s mission of discovery and inspiration, paving the way for groundbreaking achievements in space science, technology and exploration,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social, the platform he launched in 2022.
“Jared’s passion for space, astronaut experience and dedication to pushing the boundaries of exploration, unlocking the mysteries of the universe and unlocking the new space economy make him ideally suited to lead NASA into a bold new era.”
Related: What a 2nd Trump administration could mean for NASA and space exploration
“I am honored to receive President Trump’s nomination to serve as the next Administrator of NASA. Having been fortunate to see our amazing planet from space, I am passionate about America leading the most incredible adventure in human history,” Isaacman wrote today in a post on X.
Isaacman, 41, is an accomplished pilot who co-founded an aerobatic jet team as well as Draken International, a Florida company that trains pilots for the U.S. military. He also has experience steering vehicles in the final frontier.
The billionaire organized and commanded the first-ever all-civilian orbital spaceflight — Inspiration4, a four-person mission that circled the globe for three days in September 2021.
Isaacman did the same for Polaris Dawn, a five-day mission that flew this past September. Polaris Dawn got farther from Earth than any crewed flight since the Apollo era, and it featured the first-ever private spacewalk, a brief excursion performed by Isaacman and crewmate Sarah Gillis.
And Isaacman aims to go to space again: Polaris Dawn was the first of three planned missions in the Polaris Program. The third flight in the series will be the first crewed mission of SpaceX’s Starship megarocket, program officials have said.
As that spaceflight experience shows, Isaacman knows SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk, who will also play a role (though a less official one) in the upcoming Trump administration. Musk is co-leading the “Department of Government Efficiency,” an advisory group that plans to help slash regulations and “dismantle government bureaucracy.”
Musk aims to help humanity settle Mars — a goal that Isaacman seems to share and will likely work toward in his NASA role, if he is confirmed by Congress.
“I was born after the moon landings; my children were born after the final space shuttle launch,” Isaacman said in today’s X post. “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.”
