By Shivani P Menon
Billionaire Jared Isaacman has been appointed as the new head of NASA on Wednesday, as confirmed by the U.S Senate.
This has marked an end to a dramatic saga that started a year ago, when President Donald Trump gave his name in December 2024, and after five months, abruptly removed his name, and then again nominated his name, saying how his passion and experience for space make him ideal to be the head.
42-year-old Jared Isaacman, an amateur jet pilot, is NASA’s first administrator in decades who has come from outside the government.
Trump has made it clear that he wants the US to establish a permanent lunar base on Mars and extract resources. Isaacman’s appointment was confirmed on Wednesday by voting, where he won by a large margin of 67-30.
Trump withdrew his nomination in May 2025 because of his feud with Musk, an ally of Isaacman. Isaacman’s reappointment was confirmed by the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee after a hearing on December 17, where Issac spoke about how NASA astronauts should return to the moon before China does.
Both the US and China want to establish a long-term human presence on the lunar surface. NASA’s program ‘Artemis’ has faced many delays and cost over-runs while China’s space program, in recent years, has advanced at a rapid pace.
Next year, NASA is aiming to send four astronauts to the moon to test its next-generation rocket and spacecraft. If the test is successful, they will attempt to land a crew near the moon’s south pole. China plans to send their astronauts by 2030.
Isaacman’s net worth is mostly made from his payment-processing company and the sale of a firm. This is his first job in politics.