Newly elected US President Donald Trump on Wednesday nominated Jared Isaacman to be the next head of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). TASR informs about it based on the reports of AFP and Reuters agencies.
The nomination of billionaire, private astronaut and close associate Elon Musk could raise questions about a potential conflict of interest. Musk will probably co-chair the Commission for Government Efficiency and is also one of Trump’s closest advisers, writes AFP.
If confirmed, Isaacman will oversee NASA’s roughly $25 billion budget. “I am pleased to name Jared Isaacman, an outstanding entrepreneur, philanthropist, pilot and astronaut, as the head of NASA,” Trump wrote on the Truth Social platform. “Jared will lead NASA’s mission of discovery and inspiration, while paving the way for breakthroughs in space science, technology and exploration,” he added.
“There will be a thriving space economy – one that will create opportunities for countless people to live and work in space.” the billionaire said in a post after Trump’s announcement.
Forty-one-year-old Isaacman has become a leading figure in the field of commercial spaceflight thanks to his work with Musk’s company SpaceX. At the age of 16, he founded the payment processing company Shift4 Payments. He is an experienced pilot qualified to pilot military aircraft. He also performed at air shows and even set a world record for flying around the world.
