Billionaire investor Jared Isaacman has been formally approved as the incoming leader of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, capping an unusual nomination process where President Donald Trump put his name forward, pulled the nomination, and then renominated him.
The billionaire, an private pilot who was the first non-professional astronaut to perform a spacewalk, is also the first NASA administrator in a generation to come straight from outside government.
For numerous observers, the ultimate measure of his leadership will be determined by one key benchmark: whether it can return humans to the Moon before the Chinese space program.
The administration has made clear a goal for the US to establish a sustained presence on the moon, both to enable harvesting materials and to serve as a stepping stone for travel to the Red Planet.
Legislative Approval and Nomination Drama
On Wednesday, the U.S. Senate cleared the nomination with a 67-30 vote.
Trump originally rescinded Isaacman's nomination in May, referencing a "comprehensive examination of prior associations".
At the point, the president was openly clashing with the SpaceX CEO, one of his largest political donors, with whom the nominee has professional ties.
Isaacman indicates he is now completely supportive of the presidential objective to extract lunar resources, placing him in disagreement with Elon Musk, who has stated that focus on the moon is a detour from the goal of travelling to Mars.
Future Direction
In the ongoing cosmic competition, world powers are vying to exploit the Moon.
“This is not the time for inaction but a time for decisive steps because if we lose ground, if we make a mistake, we may be permanently behind, and the consequences could alter the strategic equilibrium here on Earth,” Isaacman told US Senators earlier this month.
The billionaire entrepreneur sees bringing in more commercial rivalry as crucial for meeting those targets, according to a recently disclosed paper detailing his strategy for NASA.
In his Senate hearing, he reaffirmed the strategy, which he developed when he was first nominated, but clarified it was a work in progress.
His welcoming of multiple providers could also lead to tension with SpaceX. Last week, Isaacman commended the award of a major contract to Jeff Bezos's company, which is one of the main challengers of Musk's SpaceX.
In the leaked plan, he proposed the agency should forge stronger ties with research institutes, casting the agency as a "amplifier for science".
He pointed to the scheduled deployment of the Roman Space Telescope as a prime illustration.
"Should we be approaching something extraordinary - like launching Roman - I will explore every option to see it launched, even providing personal financing if that's what it takes to deliver the scientific results," he stated.
Personal Fortune
According to estimates, his fortune is valued at around $1.2bn, made mostly from his financial services firm and the sale of his company that trained pilots and managed a private fleet of military aircraft.
The position of agency chief will be his first job in politics, a contrast to the immediate predecessors appointed as head of the agency.
He will succeed the former transportation secretary, who has acted as temporary leader since the summer.
