Jared Isaacman renominated by Donald Trump to be Nasa chief

Donald Trump has named billionaire investor Jared Isaacman to head NASA, five months after withdrawing his first nomination.

The 42-year-old entrepreneur, who has ties to SpaceX founder Elon Musk, appeared poised to lead the space agency when Trump abruptly withdrew his nomination in late May, following what the president called a “deep review of prior associations.”

Although the White House did not specify what these associations were, it was during the highly publicized feud between Trump and Musk.

Isaacman, who is worth an estimated $1.9 billion (£1.46 billion), is an amateur airplane pilot and also became the first non-professional astronaut to walk in space last year, on a mission with SpaceX that he funded.

It’s unclear why Trump suddenly changed his mind, and the president made no mention of the past when he wrote on his Truth Social platform that he was “happy to nominate” Isaacman for the role.

“Jared’s passion for space, his experience as an astronaut, and his dedication to pushing the boundaries of exploration, unlocking the mysteries of the universe, and advancing the new space economy, make him the ideal candidate to lead NASA into a bold new era,” the president wrote.

The NASA administrator role will be Isaacman’s first job in politics, a change from the last two men appointed to the role.

She must be confirmed by the Senate, where the Republican Party holds a majority of 53 votes to 47. Even though the American government has been paralyzed since the beginning of October, the Senate is still able to confirm presidential candidates.

Thanking the president, Isaacman wrote on X that “it will be an honor” to serve in this role.

“The support from the space enthusiast community has been overwhelming,” he wrote in a lengthy post, which also recognized NASA scientists and innovators.

“I don’t know how I earned the trust of so many people, but I will do everything I can to live up to those expectations.”

Sean Duffy, the head of the transport department, has been acting head of NASA since July.

The initial withdrawal of Isaacman’s candidacy came just days after Elon Musk left the Trump administration, following a tumultuous campaign to shrink the size of government departments with his Doge initiative, leading to thousands of job cuts.

Concerns have been raised about Isaacman’s ties to Musk and his company SpaceX, where Isaacman is believed to have spent hundreds of millions of dollars. He has also donated to Democrats in previous elections.

His nomination was met with skepticism, and during his first confirmation hearing in April, members of both parties questioned Isaacman about possible conflicts of interest, budget cuts and his desire to send astronauts to Mars.

They expressed fears that it would sacrifice the long-planned lunar mission to focus on Mars, but Isaacman said both may be possible.

“We don’t need to make a binary decision between the Moon and Mars, or the Moon has to come first versus Mars,” he later added.

The billionaire – a high school dropout – made his fortune through payment processing company Shift4 Payments, which he founded in 1999 in his parents’ basement when he was 16.

Isaacman has long had an interest in flying: he first took flying lessons in 2004 and later set a world record for the fastest circumnavigation of a light aircraft.