Billionaire entrepreneur and space traveler Jared Isaacman President Trump’s appointee for NASA’s upcoming administration informed Congress on Wednesday of his backing for reinstating astronauts to the moon through the Artemis project while emphasizing future missions to Mars should be prioritized instead.
Senator Ted Cruz of Texas led the confirmation hearing for Isaacman as part of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. During this session, Senator Cruz specifically asked the candidate whether they were committed to keeping the Artemis mission on track to send American astronauts back to the Moon before President Trump concluded his term?
I completely concur with the president and his motivating and lofty objective of sending American astronauts to place the Stars and Stripes on Mars," Isaacman stated. "It wasn’t like he mentioned we should avoid going to the moon.
I believe the president, like me and likely many Americans do, must be questioning why it’s taking so long for us to return to the moon and why this endeavor requires such substantial funding.
In addition to the president’s appeal for sending astronauts to Mars someday, top adviser Elon Musk, who founded SpaceX, has labeled NASA's Artemis lunar mission as a “distraction” and described it primarily as a “program focused on maximizing jobs rather than achieving outcomes.”
The Artemis project, which has contractors located in numerous congressional districts, is experiencing delays and is billions of dollars over its initial budget.
However, it enjoys significant bipartisan backing in Washington, but lawmakers have opposed Musk’s remarks and the potential for substantial alterations that might reduce funding for Artemis. This opposition raises concerns that China could become the first nation to return to the moon instead of the United States.
Issacman attempted to allay those worries.
"I absolutely want to see us return to the moon," he said. "As I mentioned in my prepared remarks, determine the economic, scientific, and national security value while we are also proceeding towards Mars.
I believe we don’t necessarily need to make difficult trades here, Senator. If we focus our resources on the world’s premier space agency, we won’t have to choose between a binary option of either the Moon or Mars, nor do we have to prioritize one over the other.
Cruz wondered whether, considering the present financial limitations, NASA would be able to genuinely manage both a lunar return and a complete mission to Mars at the same time.
Senator, as I stated in my prepared remarks, I believe we can certainly achieve this," Isaacman remarked. "We can unravel the dynamics of the space economy in low-Earth orbit. We can also conduct additional scientific missions.
Here’s an organization that started with launching Alan Shepard on a suborbital flight; just eight years later, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were walking on the lunar surface. Can we return to the Moon, set our sights on Mars, and achieve many more milestones? Without question.
Seated in the auditorium behind Isaacman were the four NASA astronauts set to lift off next year on a trip around the moon, this will be the second mission in the Artemis program and the first one with a crew aboard. According to NASA, the third mission, provisionally scheduled for mid-2027, aims to send two astronauts to the lunar surface; it marks the beginning of increasingly complex Artemis missions.
Isaacman a billionaire, aviator, space traveler
In his own way, a modern-day Renaissance figure, Isaacman left high school at 16 and went on to establish Shift4 Payments, a firm handling transactions for over 200,000 eateries and retailers. At 42 years old, he has also made significant strides as a pilot, holding an aeronautical degree and possessing a collection of fighter aircraft utilized partly for training purposes among military personnel.
He spent hundreds of millions with SpaceX — the precise amount remains undisclosed — for booking two missions using the company’s Crew Dragon vehicles, marking the inaugural entirely private crewed journeys around Earth involving individuals without government roles.
The first flight, Inspiration4 , raised over $250 million as part of a charitable initiative for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. During the subsequent flight, Polaris Dawn , he and his SpaceX colleague were the first civilians to venture outside the spacecraft on a spacewalk.
In the distant future, perhaps as far ahead as 50 or even 100 years, we will likely see a lunar settlement and maybe even a Martian community," he stated prior to his inaugural journey into space in 2021. "However, every endeavor must begin with a single step. After completing this mission, I believe individuals will recognize it as the moment ordinary citizens gained access to space travel for the very first time.
The Guardian reviewed the Netflix documentary on the Inspiration4 mission and described Isaacman as "one of the rarest creatures - a truly likable billionaire."
Prior to being nominated for the role of NASA’s next administrator, Isaacman had been preparing for two more missions, one of which involved the inaugural crewed launch of SpaceX's massive Super Heavy-Starship rocket. These planned endeavors will be put on hold following his confirmation as NASA administrator.
“I’m not your usual candidate for this role,” Isaacman stated. “I have largely stayed out of politics. I am not a scientist nor have I ever been employed by NASA. However, I don’t see these as drawbacks; actually, I think President Trump considered them to be assets.”
Should confirmation follow, I shall contribute all my expertise to humanity’s most exhilarating journey, unraveling the mysteries of the cosmos.
Trump announced Isaacman's nomination In December, he stated on his Truth Social platform: "Jared will lead NASA's mission of discovery and inspiration, charting the path for revolutionary advancements in space science, technology, and exploration."
Trump stated that Isaacman’s “ardent enthusiasm for space, his personal journey as an astronaut, along with his commitment to expanding the horizons of discovery, deciphering cosmic enigmas, and fostering the emerging space industry” makes him perfectly fit to guide NASA towards a pioneering new chapter.”
NASA braces for change
Isaacman's confirmation hearing took place during a period of upheaval at NASA, as the agency prepares for substantial reductions across various initiatives anticipated from Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency.
The largest uncertainty revolves around the future of NASA's Artemis lunar mission, including its massive Space Launch System rocket and its Orion spacecraft.
In addition to the continuous operation of the International Space Station, NASA’s main objective since the initial term of the Trump administration has been to return astronauts to the Moon. This effort particularly targets the lunar south pole, an area which might contain water ice within its perpetually darkened craters.
Should substantial amounts of ice be found during extraction efforts, future astronauts might have the ability to convert it into water, breathable oxygen, and even propulsion fuels, significantly reducing the expenses associated with deep-space missions. Meanwhile, China is advancing its lunar ambitions by aiming to send its own “taikonauts” to the Moon’s surface by 2030 as part of an independent mission plan.
Bill Nelson, who serves as the NASA administrator during President Joe Biden’s tenure, framed the rivalry between nations as a fresh space race, asserting that having an American footprint on the Moon is crucial for both national security and maintaining the country’s global prominence.
The Artemis program centers around the Boeing-led SLS rocket, designed to send NASA’s Lockheed Martin-produced Orion spacecraft carrying crew members to the Moon. For the first lunar landing mission, astronauts will reach the moon's surface using a modified version of the Starship upper stage.
Despite NASA allocating almost $4 billion to SpaceX for developing the Artemis lunar lander, Musk proposed after Trump’s election that NASA should skip the Moon mission and aim directly for Mars instead.
The Artemis architecture is highly inefficient because it focuses on maximizing jobs rather than achieving optimal outcomes. A completely new approach is necessary. Musk said on X .
However, Cruz disagrees with this notion. He frequently brought up the possibility of China returning to the Moon before the United States as an evident threat to American national security and worldwide dominance.
"If we let China get ahead of us in space exploration, what repercussions could America encounter?" Cruz questioned.
Issacman responded firmly, 'We definitely can’t afford to fall behind. If we’re always following instead of leading, we might end up perpetually trailing others, with potentially profound consequences.'
Even when discussing scenarios with relatively low odds, consider this: suppose helium-3 on the moon turns into a new form of fusion energy. This might alter global dynamics right here on our planet. I believe it’s too risky to learn about such changes through experience alone... Outer space represents the pinnacle vantage point. We must not relinquish control over that territory.
However, when questioned further, Isaacman declined to pledge support for setting up a lasting base on the moon, stating that additional studies are necessary to assess the scientific benefits and financial implications of such an initiative.
When asked about his previous relationship with Musk and whether the SpaceX founder would have any special privileges, Isaacman stated, "My allegiance lies with this country, the space agency, and their groundbreaking mission."
He suggested that during the 1960s, under Administrator James Webb, they likely received phone calls and appreciated contributions from all participating contractors," he stated. "However, at NASA we hold the position of customers; these organizations serve our needs rather than directing ours.