A tech billionaire who pioneered the first private spacewalk is set to lead NASA, following his nomination by President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday. Jared Isaacman, 41, CEO and founder of a credit card-processing company, has been a close collaborator with Elon Musk’s SpaceX ever since purchasing his first chartered flight with the company.
Isaacman, who has taken multiple spaceflights with SpaceX, made history in 2021 by conducting the first private spacewalk. He has since continued his space endeavors, including a recent mission in September where he tested SpaceX’s new spacewalking suits during a brief excursion outside the spacecraft.
Expressing his gratitude for the nomination, Isaacman said, “Having been fortunate to see our amazing planet from space, I am passionate about America leading the most incredible adventure in human history.”
If confirmed, Isaacman will succeed Bill Nelson, 82, a former Democratic senator from Florida who was appointed by President Joe Biden. Nelson, who flew aboard space shuttle Columbia in 1986 while serving as a congressman, has been instrumental in advancing NASA’s efforts to return astronauts to the moon under the Artemis program.
During Nelson’s tenure, NASA made significant strides with the Artemis program, the next-generation Apollo initiative aiming to send astronauts around the moon as soon as next year. The program plans for the first moon landing in over half a century to follow shortly after.
NASA is relying on SpaceX’s Starship, a mega rocket currently launching test flights out of Texas, to transport astronauts to the lunar surface. The agency already partners with SpaceX for crewed missions to the International Space Station (ISS), alongside conducting supply runs.
Boeing, another key player in NASA’s roster of collaborators, launched its first crewed mission in June. However, the Starliner capsule encountered numerous issues, resulting in the two test pilots being stranded at the ISS. Originally planned as an eight-day mission, the astronauts are now expected to return to Earth with SpaceX in February after spending over eight months in orbit.
Beyond human spaceflight, NASA continues to explore the solar system with robotic missions. A spacecraft is currently en route to Jupiter’s icy moon Europa, and the Mars rover Perseverance is actively collecting rock and soil samples on the Red Planet.
Facing budget constraints, NASA is seeking innovative and cost-effective methods to bring these Martian samples back to Earth sooner than the original plan, which had escalated to $11 billion with a timeline extending beyond 2040. The agency is turning to industry partners and international collaborators for assistance.
Elon Musk congratulated Isaacman on his nomination, describing him as a person of “high ability and integrity.”
Isaacman, whose call sign is “Rook,” has been passionate about space since childhood. Dropping out of high school at 16, he obtained his GED and founded a company in his parents’ basement that evolved into Shift4 Payments, based in eastern Pennsylvania. An accomplished pilot, Isaacman set a world record flying around the globe in 2009 to raise funds for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. He also established Draken International, which operates the world’s largest private fleet of fighter jets.
Continuing his ventures into space, Isaacman has reserved two more flights with SpaceX, including leading the first crewed mission aboard Starship into Earth’s orbit.
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Billionaire who performed the first private spacewalk to lead NASA
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