Donald Trump Nominates Jared Isaacman as NASA Administrator

US President-elect Donald Trump has nominated billionaire entrepreneur and space tourist Jared Isaacman, the owner of Shift4, as the new head of NASA, the United States’ national space research agency.

Isaacman, 41, is a close associate of SpaceX founder Elon Musk and will succeed the current administrator, Bill Nelson, who was nominated by President Joe Biden in 2021. Nelson had flown into space as part of a 1986 space shuttle mission.

In a post on his Truth Social platform on Wednesday, President Trump expressed his confidence in Isaacman, stating, “Jared will advance NASA’s mission of discovery and leadership in space science, technology, and exploration, paving the way for extraordinary successes in space.”

Isaacman, in a post on social media platform X, said he was proud of the nomination and was “looking forward to helping usher in an era where humanity becomes a true spacefaring civilization.” He added, “With President Trump’s support, I can promise you this: we will never again be deprived of the ability to travel to the stars and always be first. We will walk on the American moon and Mars, and we will make life better here on Earth.”

In 2021, Isaacman led the first all-civilian mission to space aboard a SpaceX chartered flight. He spent millions of dollars to fulfill his dream of walking in space, becoming the first person to do so at his own expense.

When he stepped out of the spacecraft, hundreds of miles above Earth, Isaacman’s first words were, “It’s beautiful.” He reflected, “I wasn’t born when humanity first landed on the Moon, but I would certainly like to see my children watching humans walk on the Moon and Mars.”

Isaacman also led the Polaris Dawn mission, during which SpaceX’s civilian astronaut crew conducted the first commercial spacewalk. The mission aimed to test new technologies and procedures that could be used in future space flights. The spacewalk lasted nearly two hours and was broadcast live.

NASA has a close relationship with SpaceX, relying on the company’s rocket launches to transport astronauts to space and deliver supplies to the International Space Station. If confirmed as NASA Administrator, Isaacman will oversee billions of dollars in contracts that the US government has awarded to SpaceX.