Musk's friend may head NASA: who is Jared Isaacman, chosen by Trump?

The next US president, Donald Trump, has announced his intention to appoint billionaire Jared Isaacman, the first amateur astronaut to perform a spacewalk, as head of NASA. The candidate has close ties to SpaceX and Elon Musk personally, writes CNBC.

“Jared will lead NASA's mission of discovery and inspiration, paving the way for revolutionary advances in space science, technology and exploration,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social social network.

Isaacman has close financial ties to SpaceX through his online payments company Shift4, which invested $27.5 million in SpaceX and signed a five-year deal to handle the Starlink payment service. The billionaire announced his intention to leave the post of Shift4 CEO after his candidacy was approved, while keeping most of his shares in the company.

“I have been fortunate enough to see our amazing planet from space, and I am enthusiastic about how America will lead the most incredible adventure in human history. On my last mission into space, I and my team has traveled further from Earth than anyone in the last half century. I can confidently say that the second space age has just begun… With President Trump's support, I can promise you this: We will never again lose our ability to travel to the stars and never settle for second place. We will inspire your children and mine to look up and dream of what is possible. Americans will fly to the moon and Mars, and thereby we will make life on Earth better”, – he commented  potential destination.

In social networks, Isaacman has repeatedly demonstrated support for SpaceX, while criticizing the NASA Space Launch System program and the agency's decision to award a contract to Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin company.

If confirmed by the Senate, he will replace Bill Nelson, appointed by President Joe Biden. Nelson oversaw NASA's nearly $25 billion budget and launched the first unmanned mission of the Artemis program, although subsequent manned missions suffered delays and budget overruns.