RT reported that President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Jared Issacman as the next head of NASA.
Jared Issacman is a billionaire and CEO of payments company Shift4. He has successfully completed two private space flights and one spacewalk.
The 41-year-old billionaire is also a close associate of billionaire Elon Musk - the head of SpaceX. Mr. Issacman was nominated to replace the position of NASA Administrator currently held by Mr. Bill Nelson, who was appointed by outgoing President Joe Biden in 2021.
“Jared will advance NASA’s mission of discovery and inspiration, paving the way for groundbreaking achievements in space science, technology, and exploration,” Mr. Trump announced on the social network Truth Social on December 4.
The future NASA leader immediately expressed his honor at being nominated by Mr. Trump in a post on the social network X. He also expressed his desire to help "open a new era where humans can conquer space."
“With the support of President-elect Trump, I can promise you this: We will never lose our ability to reach for the stars and never settle for second place,” Mr. Issacman wrote on X, affirming that “Americans will walk on the Moon and Mars, and in doing so, we will improve life on Earth.”
Regarding his work at Shift4, the billionaire shared that he will continue to hold the role of CEO until approved, maintaining a majority stake here, but will reduce shareholder voting rights.
Earlier this year, he led the Polaris Dawn mission, when SpaceX’s civilian crew conducted the first commercial spacewalk. The mission was designed to test new technologies and procedures that could be used in future spaceflights. The spacewalk lasted about two hours and was broadcast live.
NASA currently has a close relationship with SpaceX, as the company's rocket launches are used to send astronauts into space or deliver cargo to the International Space Station (ISS).
Once Isaacman becomes the head of NASA, the billion-dollar contracts the US government has awarded to SpaceX will likely come under scrutiny.
