US President-elect Donald Trump has named billionaire entrepreneur and private astronaut Jared Isaacman as his pick for the next NASA administrator. Isaacman, 41, will replace former Democratic Senator Bill Nelson if confirmed by the Senate.
Isaacman is a veteran private astronaut with experience flying to space twice, including on a commercial mission called Inspiration4 in February 2021. He also flew to space again in September and commanded the first of three planned SpaceX Polaris missions.
Trump described Isaacman as “ideally suited” to lead NASA into a new era of exploration and discovery. Isaacman has pledged to make humanity a true spacefaring civilization, inspiring children to look up and dream of what’s possible.
The selection comes amid challenges for NASA, including tight budgets and high costs associated with the Space Launch System (SLS) moon rocket. SpaceX supporters argue that their Super Heavy-Starship rocket is the better choice for deep space exploration, but it remains unoperational.
Isaacman will lead NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the lunar surface by 2025. The first mission, Artemis 2, is currently delayed due to issues with the Orion spacecraft’s heat shield and other problems. The next steps for the Artemis 3 mission, which includes a lunar lander built by SpaceX, are unclear but will require multiple test flights of the Super Heavy-Starship rocket.
Isaacman has promised to be a vocal space advocate and work with NASA’s team to achieve their goals. His appointment has been welcomed by lawmakers, including former NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, who called him “an ideal candidate” for the role.
Source: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-jared-isaacman-nasa-administrator