US President-elect, Donald Trump, has nominated space enthusiast Jared Isaacman as the next Administrator of NASA.
Jared has accepted the offer and made a post on December 4, 2024, to briefly outline his vision for NASA.
“I am honored to receive President Trump’s @realDonaldTrump nomination to serve as the next Administrator of NASA. Having been fortunate to see our amazing planet from space, I am passionate about America leading the most incredible adventure in human history.
On my last mission to space, my crew and I traveled farther from Earth than anyone in over half a century. I can confidently say this second space age has only just begun. Space holds unparalleled potential for breakthroughs in manufacturing, biotechnology, mining, and perhaps even pathways to new sources of energy. There will inevitably be a thriving space economy—one that will create opportunities for countless people to live and work in space. At NASA, we will passionately pursue these possibilities and usher in an era where humanity becomes a true spacefaring civilization.
I was born after the Moon landings; my children were born after the final space shuttle launch. 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. We will inspire children, yours and mine, to look up and dream of what is possible. Americans will walk on the Moon and Mars and in doing so, we will make life better here on Earth.
It is the honor of a lifetime to serve in this role and to work alongside NASA’s extraordinary team to realize our shared dreams of exploration and discovery.
Grateful to serve,
Jared”
He replaces Bill Nelson as NASA Administrator if cleared by US Senate after the swearing-in of Donald Trump as President on January 20, 2025.
Jared Isaacman, 41, is a billionaire private astronaut and owner of Shift4 Payments company.
He has been on two private space missions using SpaceX.
He was on Inspiration4 launched from Kennedy Space Centre, Florida, on September 16, 2021, and returned on September 18, 2024.
He was also on Polaris Dawn launched to space on September 10, 2024, which returned on September 15, 2024.
The Polaris Dawn was the first private mission to do a spacewalk.
Jared Isaacman announced plans for two more Polaris Dawn missions.
People are already wondering whether Jared Isaacman, being so close to Elon Musk, will not cause conflict of interest between NASA and SpaceX.
Jared has proved himself as a successful young businessman and lover of space, but never as an academic.
His choice is seen as unorthodox because NASA is a US-government owned agency that is supposed to lead and pioneer research in space science and technology.
