Jared Isaacman Tapped to Lead NASA

By Joey Roulette

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday appointed Jared Isaacman to lead NASA. Isaacman, a billionaire private astronaut and close associate of Elon Musk, is expected to oversee NASA’s $25 billion budget, focusing on the Artemis program aimed at returning humans to the moon.

As the CEO of Shift4 Payments, Isaacman has flown to space twice via SpaceX's Polaris program, which arranges fully private flights in Earth orbit.

"Jared will drive NASA's mission of discovery and inspiration, paving the way for groundbreaking achievements in space science, technology, and exploration," said Trump on his Truth Social platform.

This selection comes earlier than past presidential transitions, highlighting Musk's influence in discussions about future space missions, including potential Mars explorations. Trump recently attended a SpaceX Starship test launch in Texas.

At 41, Isaacman is likely to emphasize NASA's strategy of collaborating with private companies for space access, an approach that has emerged in the past decade. This could threaten NASA’s Space Launch System, a costly launch vehicle by Boeing and Northrop Grumman.

Isaacman will also manage NASA's aeronautics portfolio and a space science unit that has experienced budget cuts under the current administration, while prioritizing the Artemis program.

NASA's previous administrators were former politicians, with Trump’s first NASA chief, Jim Bridenstine, launching the Artemis program and increasing its funding. Biden appointed Bill Nelson, a former senator, as NASA’s administrator.