WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump has selected Jared Isaacman, a billionaire who has commanded two SpaceX commercial spaceflights, as his choice to be the next administrator of NASA.
Trump, in a post on Truth Social, the social media site he is affiliated with, said Dec. 4 that he selected Isaacman to be the next administrator of NASA. That nomination, once official, will require Senate confirmation.
“Jared will drive NASA’s mission of discovery and inspiration, paving the way for groundbreaking achievements in Space science, technology, and exploration,” Trump posted. “Jared’s passion for Space, astronaut experience, and dedication to pushing the boundaries of exploration, unlocking the mysteries of the universe, and advancing the new Space economy, make him ideally suited to lead NASA into a bold new Era.”
“I am honored to receive President Trump’s @realDonaldTrump nomination to serve as the next Administrator of NASA,” Isaacman stated in a post on X.
Isaacman, founder and chief executive of payment services company Shift4, is best known in space circles as the commander and funder of two private astronaut missions flown on SpaceX’s Crew Dragon: Inspiration4 in September 2021 and Polaris Dawn in September 2024. The former was the first private mission on Crew Dragon, while the latter set several records, including the highest altitude on a crewed mission since Apollo 17 in 1972 and first private spacewalk.
Isaacman has not been involved in politics before, and his name had not been widely circulated as a potential candidate to lead the space agency. In his X post, he said NASA would “passionately pursue” new possibilities he said that a new commercial space era can enable.
“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,” he wrote. “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.”
Both the selection of Isaacman and the timing of the announcement took many by surprise. Recent administrations did not select their nominee for NASA administration until weeks to months after taking office. The first Trump administration, for example, did not nominate Jim Bridenstine to be administration until more than seven months after Trump’s inauguration.
The incoming administration also has not set up a transition team for NASA. In comments after a keynote at the Cislunar Security Conference Dec. 4, a couple hours before Trump’s announcement, NASA Associate Administrator Jim Free said that Trump’s agency review team—a group of staffers supporting the incoming administration to review NASA activities—had not arrived yet at the agency or had been named, but added the agency expected to at least learn who was on that team by the end of the week.
The new Trump administration is expected to scrutinize NASA’s exploration programs, including its use of the Space Launch System and Orion for the Artemis lunar exploration campaign. Elon Musk, chief executive of SpaceX, has been advising Trump since the election.
The selection of Isaacman had an immediate endorsement from one former agency official. “Congratulations – you are going to be terrific!” posted Lori Garver, who served as deputy administrator of NASA during the Obama administrator, in response to Isaacman’s statement.
Dave Cavossa, president of the Commercial Space Federation, also praised Isaacman’s selection. “CSF is ‘over the moon’ happy to hear of the nomination of fellow commercial space advocate and friend Jared Isaacman for NASA administrator,” he told SpaceNews. “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.”
