On December 17, the US Senate voted to approve President Donald Trump's nomination, putting billionaire Jared Isaacman in the position of Director of the US aerospace Administration ( NASA).
This decision has ended many months of fluctuations and uncertainty about the future of the world's leading space agency.
42-year-old businessman Jared Isaacman has enriched himself from online payment processing and is known for his passion for space conquest. He took over from NASA at a seemingly sensitive time as the agency is facing serious budget cuts.
The most notable point in this term is the redefinition of space race. Although the United States made history by sending people to the Moon in 1969, the Trump administration now sees the return of the object as an urgent mission, followed by a mission to Mars.
"The United States will return to the Moon against our arch-rival (China). We will establish a long-term presence to understand and realize the values of science, economy and national security on the surface of the Moon," Isaacman said in a statement.
During a second confirmation hearing in December, Isaacman pledged to ensure the success of the Artemis lunar exploration program, which was launched in 2017.
However, NASA's Artemis program is facing countless delays. Experts in September warned that Elon Musk's SpaceX-developed lunar landfall could not be completed on time.
Isaacman's path to the NASA hot seat is also not flat. President Trump first nominated him shortly after winning the 2024 election, but then withdrew in April 2025 before re-nominating last November.
Billionaire Elon Musk has been actively mobilizing the hallway for Isaacman to get this position. These reversal developments partly reflect the "cold-fought" relationship between President Trump and the founder of SpaceX - who has been skeptical about the goal of returning to the Moon.
Although the Trump administration left open a few months ago the possibility of amending the Artemis program to prioritize Mars, that prospect is fading. New NASA Director Isaacman has emphasized that the new Moon is the number one priority at the moment.
Mr. Jared Isaacman himself is not a stranger to the universe. He has flown into space twice with SpaceX and made history in 2024 as the first private pilot to make a spacewalk.
