The elected president of USA Donald Trump announced this Wednesday that he has chosen the millionaire Jared Isaacmanthe first private astronaut to perform a spacewalk, as head of NASA.
“I am delighted to nominate Jared Isaacman, a prominent business leader, philanthropist, pilot and astronaut, as administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA),” Trump wrote on his Truth Social network.
“Jared will advance NASA’s mission of discovery and inspiration, paving the way for groundbreaking achievements in space science, technology and exploration,” he added.
This election could represent a conflict of interest due to the relationship between the head of the financial company Shift4 and Elon Musk, the richest man in the world and president of SpaceX, who will be part of Donald Trump’s administration when he takes office on Next January 20th.
Jared Isaacman, 41, has become one of the leading figures in commercial spaceflight thanks to his work at SpaceX.
A native of Pennsylvania, Isaacman founded the company that became Shift4 Payments in the basement of his family home when he was 16 years old.
He is capable of piloting military aircraft, has participated in air shows and has set a world record for flying around the world.
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“There will inevitably be a thriving space economy, creating opportunities for countless people to live and work in space,” Isaacman said on the social network X after Trump’s announcement.
“At NASA, we will passionately pursue these possibilities,” he added.
In September, Jared Isaacman conducted the first-ever private spacewalk as part of the Polaris program, a collaboration between NASA’s new CEO and SpaceX that will include three missions in total.
The financial terms of this partnership are confidential, but Jared Isaacman is believed to have invested $200 million of his personal fortune to lead SpaceX’s Inspiration4 orbital mission in 2021, an all-civilian endeavor and its first foray into space.
He is also an ardent supporter of SpaceX and Elon Musk, appointed by Trump to co-chair a commission on government effectiveness.