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President-elect Donald Trump has tapped the first billionaire to walk in space and become the next administrator of NASA.
Jared Isaacman, who founded the payments company Shift4 (FOUR+1.57%) and defense firm Draken International, conducted the spacewalk as part of a mission carried out in September by Elon Musk’s SpaceX. Isaacman served as mission commander of SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn mission, which broke altitude records and marked the farthest any human has journeyed since NASA ended the Apollo Program in the 1970s.
“Jared’s passion for Space, astronaut experience, and dedication to pushing the boundaries of exploration, unlocking the mysteries of the universe, and advancing the new Space economy, make him ideally suited to lead NASA into a bold new Era,” Trump said in a statement posted to Truth Social, the social media platform owned by Trump Media and Technology Group.
Isaacman is a known space enthusiast, even after taking his not-so “peaceful” spacewalk out of the equation.
In 2022, a few years before the Polaris Dawn mission, Isaacman chartered the “Inspiration4" mission, which became the first crewed orbital mission without a professional astronaut in tow. He purchased the flight for less than $200 million as part of a fundraising event for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. He also donated another $100 million to the hospital.
Last month, the U.S. Space Force History Foundation cited Isaacman’s undisclosed donation in its plans to convert a former Port Canaveral observation tower into a space education center.
“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,” Isaacman said in a statement Wednesday. “Americans will walk on the Moon and Mars and in doing so, we will make life better here on Earth.”
If confirmed, Isaacman would oversee a $25 billion agency focused on returning humans to the moon, an effort that will rely on SpaceX’s Starship. SpaceX has become a dominant force in the rocket launch industry as the primary rocket launcher for both NASA and the Pentagon, conducting 90% of U.S. launches in 2023.
SpaceX also plans to have an unmanned mission land on Mars in two years and humans on Mars in four years. Establishing a settlement on Mars has been one of Musk’s long-standing priorities and something he sees as vital to humanity’s survival.
Isaacman’s confirmation would give Musk another ally in the Trump administration, extending his influence over the federal government. Musk has become a nearly constant presence in Trump’s orbit since the 2024 election, even sleeping at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, and joining calls with major CEOs and world leaders.
He’s been tapped to co-lead an undefined “outside of government” Department of Government Efficiency alongside billionaire entrepreneur and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. Isaacman has expressed support for that group’s mission to slash federal spending and regulations, pointing to complexities at the Defense Department and food and drug regulators. Cuts at NASA could also be on the table.