President-elect Donald J. Trump will nominate Jared Isaacman, a billionaire entrepreneur who led two private missions to orbit on SpaceX rockets, as the next NASA administrator.
Mr. Isaacman, the chief executive of the payment processing company Shift4 Payments, is a close associate of Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX, and, if confirmed to the post by the Senate, would bring the perspective of an outsider to the space agency and its $25 billion budget.
“Jared will drive NASA’s mission of discovery and inspiration, paving the way for groundbreaking achievements in Space science, technology, and exploration,” Mr. Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform.
One of the key issues for the next NASA administrator is how to get NASA’s centerpiece Artemis program back on track to send NASA astronauts to the moon. The first landing of astronauts is to occur during the Artemis III mission, currently scheduled for late 2026. However, key components needed to accomplish that, including the lunar lander being developed by SpaceX, appear to be behind schedule.
The Trump administration could seek much bigger changes at NASA, including possibly scaling back Artemis and pivoting to Mr. Musk’s desired destination: Mars. NASA could also be included in wider efforts to pare down the number of federal employees.
Mr. Isaacman, 41, made his entrance to the space world in February 2021 when he announced he was financing a private mission called Inspiration4. Riding in a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, the mission was the first in which no one aboard was a professional astronaut.
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