Who is Jared Isaacman? Billionaire SpaceX astronaut picked to lead Trump’s NASA

President-elect Donald Trump has tapped billionaire astronaut Jared Isaacman to lead the nation’s top space agency.

The former president cited Isaacman’s accomplishments in business, philanthropy, and space, saying his passion and dedication made him “ideally suited to lead NASA into a bold new era.”

“Jared will drive NASA’s mission of discovery and inspiration, paving the way for groundbreaking achievements in space science, technology, and exploration,” Trump wrote in a post on social media. SpaceX founder Elon Musk also wrote a message of congratulations on his platform X.

Trump’s words were quickly followed by Isaacman’s own reaction, saying he was honored to receive the nomination and “grateful to serve.”

“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,” he wrote, saying that the second space age has “only just begun.”

Both Trump and Isaacman mentioned advancements in the “space economy.”

“Space holds unparalleled potential for breakthroughs in manufacturing, biotechnology, mining, and perhaps even pathways to new sources of energy. There will inevitably be a thriving space economy — one that will create opportunities for countless people to live and work in space,” said Isaacman. “At NASA, we will passionately pursue these possibilities and usher in an era where humanity becomes a true spacefaring civilization.”

“This is terrific news - @rookisaacman has the opportunity to build on @NASA‘s amazing accomplishments to pave our way to an even brighter future,” said former deputy administration Lori Garver. “Congratulations to all!”

Isaacman, 41, led the four-person Polaris Dawn crew that launched to low-Earth orbit in September, traveling further in space than any human for the past 50 years during the first private spacewalk. Isaacman funded the mission for an undisclosed amount with SpaceX. Crew members also raised money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Three years before Polaris Dawn, Isaacman was a funder and participant in the commercial Inspiration4 mission, which was also operated by SpaceX and marked the first crewed orbital mission with no professional astronauts on board. He gave two seats to St. Jude. A Netflix docuseries was made about the flight.

Isaacman, who is the chief executive and founder of a card-processing company known as Shift4 Payments, has also piloted fighter jets and is the founder of the Florida-based Draken International, which leases fighter jets that previously flew with the military. He sold that company in 2019.

Born in New Jersey, he dropped out of high school at age 16, got his GED, and started working in his parents’ basement. His business is based in eastern Pennsylvania, where he lives with his wife and their two daughters.

Isaacman, whose call sign is “Rook,” has reserved two more flights with SpaceX, including a trip leading Starship’s first crew into orbit around Earth.

NASA is counting on the private company to send astronauts to the moon using its Starship mega-rocket, which is undergoing testing. The agency also relies on SpaceX to ferry astronauts from around the world to and from the International Space Station.

Isaacman’s name had not been widely discussed as a potential candidate to lead the space agency.

If confirmed, Isaacman will replace current administrator and former Florida Democratic senator Bill Nelson.

With reporting from The Associated Press