The Japan Times - Billionaire Trump nominee confirmed to lead NASA amid Moon race

The 42-year-old businessman made his fortune in online payment processing and has a personal passion for space. He will take over as administrator of the US agency at a sensitive time -- when it faces major budget cuts and pressure to travel to the Moon again and eventually reach Mars.

The Trump administration wants to send a manned US mission to the Moon as soon as possible to outpace similar plans by China.

During his second confirmation hearing in December, Isaacman pledged he would ensure the success of the Artemis lunar exploration program that began in 2017, during the first Trump administration.

"America will return to the Moon before our great rival, and we will establish an enduring presence to understand and realize the scientific, economic and national security value on the lunar surface," Isaacman said.

NASA's Artemis program, however, has faced numerous delays, and experts warned in September that the lunar lander developed by Elon Musk's SpaceX might not be ready in time.

Trump first nominated Isaacman after the president's 2024 election victory, but withdrew the nomination in April 2025, before re-issuing it again in November.

Musk had lobbied for Isaacman to get the job. The back-and-forth reflected the president's on-again, off-again relationship with the SpaceX founder, who has been skeptical of the goal of returning to the Moon.

While the Trump administration was open several months ago to revising the Artemis program in favor of Mars, this prospect now seems to be fading.

Isaacman has emphasized that returning to the Moon is now the priority.

The entrepreneur has flown twice with SpaceX, and in 2024 became the first private astronaut to perform a spacewalk.

S.Fujimoto--JT