President-elect Donald Trump has nominated billionaire entrepreneur Jared Isaacman, aged 41 to serve as the next administrator of NASA. This announcement was made on December 4, 2024, via Trump's social media platform, Truth Social.

Isaacman, known for commanding two SpaceX commercial spaceflights, is also the founder and CEO of Shift4 Payments, a financial technology company, and co-founder of Draken International, a defence aerospace firm.

Experience: Isaacman has flown to space twice, commanding the Inspiration4 and Polaris Dawn missions, the latter of which featured the first private spacewalk. Despite his extensive experience in commercial spaceflight, he lacks formal experience in federal government roles.

He has led Shift4 for over 25 years and has been involved in aerospace since founding Draken International in 2012.

In his announcement, Trump praised Isaacman’s passion for space and dedication to advancing exploration. He stated that Isaacman would "drive NASA's mission of discovery and inspiration," paving the way for ground breaking achievements in space science and technology. Isaacman expressed his honour at receiving the nomination and his commitment to working with NASA's team to achieve shared goals in exploration and discovery.

If confirmed by the Senate, Isaacman would replace former senator Bill Nelson as NASA administrator. His appointment comes at a critical time as NASA faces challenges with its Artemis program and ongoing budgetary constraints. Isaacman's strong ties with Elon Musk and SpaceX could influence NASA's partnerships with private space companies, furthering the trend of commercial involvement in space exploration.

"With the support of President Trump, I can promise you this: We will never again lose our ability to journey to the stars and never settle for second place. We will inspire children, yours and mine, to look up and dream of what is possible. Americans will walk on the Moon and Mars, and in doing so, we will make life better here on Earth. It is the honour of a lifetime to serve in this role and to work alongside NASA's extraordinary team to realise our shared dreams of exploration and discovery," Isaacman  said in a statement.