Donald Trump has chosen American billionaire entrepreneur Jared Isaacman as a potential candidate to lead NASA in the future.
According to Saednews, the technology entrepreneur and private astronaut Jared Isaacman has been selected by Donald Trump as the next NASA administrator.
As reported by Space, the U.S. President announced on December 4th via social media that Jared Isaacman, the founder and CEO of payment processing company Shift4 Payments, has been selected as the next candidate for the position of NASA Administrator.
Isaacman has experience in spaceflight. He has financed and commanded two pioneering private missions to low Earth orbit, both of which flew using SpaceX hardware.
Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform: "Jared will lead NASA’s exploratory and inspiring mission and pave the way for groundbreaking achievements in science, technology, and space exploration. Jared’s passion for space, his astronaut experience, and his dedication to advancing the frontiers of exploration, uncovering the secrets of the universe, and unlocking the new space economy, make him an ideal choice to lead NASA into a bold new era."
Isaacman wrote on his X (formerly Twitter) account: "I am honored to have received the candidacy for the next NASA Administrator from President Trump. I’ve been lucky enough to see our incredible planet from space, and I am eager to help America lead the most extraordinary adventure in human history."
The 41-year-old Isaacman is a skilled pilot who founded an aerobatic team and Draken International, a company in Florida that trains U.S. Air Force pilots. He also has experience piloting vehicles at the final frontier. The billionaire organized and commanded the first civilian orbital spaceflight, called "Inspiration4." It was a mission with four crew members that orbited Earth for three days in September 2021.
Isaacman did the same in the "Polaris Dawn" mission, a five-day mission that flew last September. Polaris Dawn flew farther from Earth than any other crewed flight since the Apollo missions and featured the first private spacewalk.
Isaacman plans to return to space. Polaris Dawn was the first mission of three planned missions in the Polaris program. Officials have stated that the third flight in the series will be the first crewed mission of SpaceX's super-heavy rocket, Starship.