In reality, billionaire investor Jared Isaacman has not been named chief of NASA. Instead he enjoyed a whopping approval margin of 67-30. At 42, Isaacman has made his name through notable financial acumen. Beyond being the first non-professional astronaut to venture into space, he represents a maverick streak.
Isaacman’s unlikely path to NASA’s leadership started with his nomination by former President Donald Trump. Initially withdrawn after a review of his previous associations, Trump later renominated him, ultimately leading to this week’s Senate confirmation. Isaacman is himself, by some estimates, worth $1.2 billion. He mostly accumulated this fortune with his prosperous payment-processing company and the sale of a military-pilot training company that maintained a private crony-military aircraft.
As an amateur jet pilot, Isaacman has long been involved in the aerospace industry, demonstrating a passion for aviation and space exploration. He has gone as far as publicly embracing President Trump’s ambitious moon mining goal. Crucial is this idea of NASA working closely with universities and academic institutions to accelerate innovation.
Isaacman’s appointment comes after the tenure of Sean Duffy, who has been interim NASA chief since July. In his new role, he will need to advocate significantly to expedite and greatly improve NASA’s human spaceflight and exploration programs. Perhaps more importantly, he didn’t mince words about what should be the agency’s goals, saying,
“This is not the time for delay but a time for action because if we fall behind – if we make a mistake – we may never catch up, and the consequences could shift the balance of power here on Earth.”
An avid supporter of commercial partnerships, Isaacman. He toasted Blue Origin, the space company founded by Jeff Bezos, for their new lunar lander contract. He’s clearly passionate and committed to advancing the exciting work that NASA is doing. He is open to all sorts of funding possibilities, including putting up his own money to fund projects if needed.