USA Trump wants space excursionist Isaacman as head of Nasa

US President-elect Donald Trump wants to make billionaire and space explorer Jared Isaacman head of the space agency Nasa. "Jared's passion for space, his astronaut experience and his unwavering commitment to advancing exploration, unlocking the secrets of space and driving the space business forward mean he is ideally suited to lead Nasa into a bold new era," Trump wrote on Truth Social, the platform he co-founded. The nomination honors him, wrote 41-year-old Isaacman, who has made his money with a payment processing company among other things, on X.

Isaacman has caused a stir in recent years with two private space missions: in 2021, he was part of the first space crew consisting solely of amateur astronauts in space and orbited the Earth with three other people for almost three days. In September, he took part in the "Polaris Dawn" mission together with three other lay astronauts, during which they ascended to an altitude of around 1,400 kilometers and also briefly exited their spacecraft. On both missions, Isaacman worked with SpaceX, the private space company owned by tech billionaire Elon Musk, who is now also set to become part of the Trump administration.

In the past, former astronauts or politicians have usually been appointed to the post of NASA chief. In his first term of office, Trump nominated former congressman Jim Bridenstine. Former US Senator Bill Nelson currently heads the agency. He was nominated by the current US President Joe Biden. Isaacman's nomination would still have to be confirmed by the Senate.

SDA