Jared Isaacman Tapped to be Next NASA Administrator

President-elect Donald Trump has chosen Jared Isaacman as his nominee to be the next NASA Administrator. Isaacman is a tech industry billionaire who has flown two spaceflights on Elon Musk’s Crew Dragon spacecraft already, with another pending plus the first crewed flight to Earth orbit on Starship. Isaacman’s most recent Crew Dragon flight, Polaris Dawn, included the first commercial spacewalks.

Trump made the announcement today and Musk offered his congratulations via X.  Isaacman and Musk are close, with Isaacman purchasing four spaceflights on SpaceX vehicles (three Crew Dragons plus Starship).  Musk and Trump are close. Musk campaigned with and contributed an estimated $200 million to Trump’s campaign and Trump has named Musk to co-lead an effort to reduce the size of government and the national debt.

Congratulations @rookisaacman! https://t.co/3R6qzdVRf1

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 4, 2024

Saying he’s honored to be nominated, Isaacman vowed that “we will never again lose our ability to journey to the stars and never settle for second place. … Americans will walk on the Moon and Mars and in doing so, we will make life better here on Earth.”

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…

— Jared Isaacman (@rookisaacman) December 4, 2024

He epitomizes the evolution and expansion of commercial space over the past decade.

Dave Cavossa, President of the  Commercial Space Federation (CSF), expressed delight about the nomination telling SpacePolicyOnline.com that CSF is “over the moon” about it.  CSF just rebranded itself yesterday from the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, changing “spaceflight” to “space,” to recognize the diversity of its membership and growth in the industry.

“CSF is ‘over the moon’ happy to hear of the nomination of fellow commercial space advocate and friend Jared Isaacman for NASA Administrator.  Jared is a commercial space rock star, entrepreneur, philanthropist, pilot, and perhaps most important for his new role – a commercial astronaut who has flown deeper into space than any astronaut since the days of the Apollo program.

“At this critical time, as NASA and commercial space become inextricably linked toward the success of our nation’s space program and our continued global leadership in space, I cannot imagine a better candidate for this role if I had the opportunity to choose one myself.” — Dave Cavossa

Isaacman has substantial business experience, starting at the age of 16 when he quit high school and began making his fortune by developing an online payment system for small businesses, now called Shift4. He  later got a bachelor’s degree from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and began flying airplanes. That led him to found Draken International, a defense firm that owns the largest commercial fleet of ex-military aircraft and trains Air Force pilots. Isaacman sold a majority stake in it to Blackstone in 2019. He is himself an experienced jet pilot and bought the late Paul Allen’s MIG-29 for himself.

He shared his enthuasiasm for space, aviation, and pushing bounderies in an interview with science and technology journalist Miles O’Brien after winning the National Business Aviation Association’s 2023 Meritorious Service to Aviation Award.

Isaacman came to prominence in the space arena in 2021 when he purchased a flight on SpaceX’s Crew Dragon for himself and three companions, using the publicity to raise money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. One of three was herself a patient at St. Jude’s as a child and works there now, Haley Arceneaux.  She lost part of her leg to bone cancer and became the first astronaut with a prosthetic. The September 2021 flight, Inspiration4, took Isaacman, Arceneaux, Sian Proctor and Chris Sembroski on a three-day trip to Earth orbit, the first entirely private astronaut crew of individuals not professionally trained as astronauts. Proctor won a competition by creating a business website using Isaacman’s software and a video explaining why she should fly to space. Sembroski was given his place by a friend who won a lottery, but did not want to go himself.

Isaacman then bought three more flights from Musk: two more on Crew Dragon plus the first flight of SpaceX’s new Starship to Earth orbit whenever it is ready to carry people.

His second Crew Dragon mission took place this fall, Polaris Dawn.  This time he took with him two SpaceX engineers he met while training for Inspiration4, Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon, plus long-time associate Scott “Kidd” Poteet. They spent five days in orbit, traveling higher than any previous earth-orbiting human spaceflight mission and conducting the first commercial spacewalks. Isaacman and Gillis stood in Crew Dragon’s open hatch for a few minutes each, connected by foot restraints and tethers, to test the SpaceX-designed spacesuits.

As with Inspiration4, Isaacman used the opportunity to raise funds for St. Jude.

Scott Pace, Director of George Washington University’s Space Policy Institute, told SpacePolicyOnline.com that he considers Isaacman an “excellent choice.” Pace was Executive Secretary of the White House National Space Council during Trump’s first term, and NASA Associate Administrator for Program Analysis and Evaluation during George W. Bush’s second term.

“Excellent choice. He has the technical, management, and business skills NASA needs, plus personal spaceflight experience. He’s walked the walk. Not just talked about space.” — Scott Pace

Jim Bridenstine, who was NASA Administrator in Trump’s first term, issued a statement that is similarly enthusiastic.

“Jared Isaacman will be an outstanding NASA Administrator and leader of the NASA family. Jared’s vision for pushing boundaries, paired with his proven track record of success in private industry, positions him as an ideal candidate to lead NASA into a bold new era of exploration and discovery. I urge the Senate to swiftly confirm him.” — Jim Bridenstine

Isaacman’s nomination may fuel concerns about Musk’s influence over a government agency where SpaceX is the second largest contractor, but his comment that “Americans will walk on the Moon and Mars” may ease worries that the second Trump Administration might pivot to focus on Mars instead of the Moon.  How other parts of NASA’s broad portfolio — science, technology, and aeronautics — will fare remains to be seen and anything NASA does is, of course, dependent on the budget.

In a letter to employees, Isaacman said he would remain CEO of Shift4 until confirmed by the Senate as NASA Administrator. He plans “to retain the majority of my equity interest in  Shift4, subject to ethics obligations and will move quickly to reduce my voting power to be commensurate with other Class-A shareholders. … Shift4 has been my life’s work since I was 16 years old, but it is my time to serve and give back to the nation that enabled me to live the American dream.”

 

This article has been updated.