President-elect Donald Trump has selected Jared Isaacman, a businessman, pilot, and space enthusiast, as the next NASA administrator, marking a major change in the leadership of the space agency.
Trump made the announcement in a post on Truth Social, writing that Isaacman “will drive NASA’s mission of discovery and inspiration, paving the way for major breakthroughs in space science, technology, and exploration.” The last two NASA administration appointees were former politicians, so putting a billionaire astronaut in charge of the space agency is also a sign that private industry is playing a much larger role in the national space program.
Fresh off his first space mission, Isaacman said he was honored to accept the nomination. “Having had the good fortune to see our wonderful planet in person, I am passionate about America leading the most amazing adventure in human history,” Isaacman wrote in X.
Besides being the founder and CEO of the payment services company Shift4, the billionaire was able to translate his personal passion for space into reality by commanding two private astronaut missions. Isaacman’s first time in space, Inspiration4, launches in September 2021 with the first crew of all citizens to reach orbit.
In early September, Isaacman led a four-person crew aboard the Dragon spacecraft Polaris Dawn, which reached higher altitudes than any other SpaceX crew capsule. The private space shuttle also saw two crew members jump out of the capsule, make the first-ever spacewalk and test spacesuits designed by SpaceX in the vacuum of space. In terms of commercial space travel, Polaris Dawn set the bar high and took on more challenging missions than conventional suborbital aircraft.
“On my last mission to space, my crew and I traveled farther from Earth than anyone else in more than half a century,” Isaacman wrote in X. “I can say with certainty that this second space age is just beginning.”
If we’re going to learn anything from this, it’s that these “second space” years are likely to see NASA outsource more to private companies, continuing what’s already been an ongoing trend. As Trump’s second term approaches, there is speculation that the president-elect may want to cancel NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, which is poised to launch astronauts to the Moon as part of the space station’s Artemis program. NASA’s giant Moon rocket has been marred by delays and cost overruns, and may end up costing more than six times its original price.
Because of this, the space agency has been struggling with its return to the Moon, trying to manage a tight budget while maintaining its ambitious timeline for landing humans on Mars. NASA’s 2024 budget was $24.875 billion, about half a billion less than the space agency received in 2023 and $2.31 billion short of what it had hoped to spend on its various programs this year. The agency needs more money for its science efforts, while the private sector is looking to monetize space.
With Isaacman at the helm of NASA, the focus may be on making a profit in space. “Space holds unparalleled potential for breakthroughs in manufacturing, biotechnology, mining, and perhaps even pathways to new energy sources,” Isaacman wrote. “There will definitely be a booming space economy—one that will create opportunities for more people to live and work in space.”
Isaacman’s close relationship with SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk is also a concern (Isaacman’s missions depend on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rockets and Crew Dragon capsule). Musk is already a close friend of Trump, and with Isaacman at NASA, the SpaceX billionaire may have an unfair chance of getting more contracts from the space agency, leading to a full takeover of the industry. Yes, the US Senate still needs to approve Trump’s nomination of Isaacman as space agency administrator.
That’s not to say Isaacman wouldn’t bring much-needed innovation to NASA, as the space agency is sometimes run by and doesn’t take as many risks as the private sector. For better or worse, Isaaman’s appointment will mark a new era for NASA and spaceflight as a whole.
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