Jared Isaacman, the wealthy businessman and astronaut selected by President Donald Trump as the potential new head of NASA, stated on Wednesday that even with his connections to Elon Musk’s SpaceX, he would view this firm—which has sent him into space two times—as just another vendor. He assured that he wouldn’t permit Musk to exert unwarranted sway over the space administration.
During his confirmation hearing before the Senate Commerce Committee, Isaacman stated that Musk's position as the leader of the U.S. DOGE Service wouldn’t result in special advantages for Musk. He mentioned he hasn't talked about his intentions regarding NASA with Musk ever since being nominated by Trump in December. "Let me make myself perfectly clear: My allegiance lies solely with our country, the space agency, and their groundbreaking mission." According to him, SpaceX acts as a contractor, adding, "NASA is the client; they work for us, rather than the opposite scenario."
Isaacman is the founder of Shift4 Payments, a payment-processing company, established when he was just 16 years old. In 2021, Isaacman arranged for the Inspiration4 mission—a three-day journey into space involving four civilians—through SpaceX. Following this achievement, he declared his intention to buy three additional missions under a grand initiative referred to as the Polaris program that is designed to push the boundaries of commercial spaceflight.
Last year marked the beginning of this endeavor, with Isaacman and his team spending multiple days in orbit. During this time, Isaacman along with another crew member, Sarah Gillis—a SpaceX engineer—emerged from the spacecraft for the inaugural private spacewalk.
Isaacman hasn’t disclosed the amount he paid SpaceX for these trips. According to his financial statement, should this information be verified, he plans to "end all contracts" with the firm. Responding to Senator Edward J. Markey from Massachusetts about whether Musk attended his meeting with Trump at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, Isaacman chose not to address it head-on, stating merely that “I was interviewing with the President of the United States."
"Have you talked about your plans for NASA with Elon Musk?" Markey inquired.
"I haven't," Isaacman stated.
One of NASA’s primary contractors, SpaceX carries out several crucial missions for the space agency. The company transports goods, provisions, and crew members to the International Space Station, deploys satellites and conducts scientific expeditions, and has secured contracts totaling $4 billion to utilize its Starship vehicle for ferrying astronauts to the moon’s surface.
Considering the possible conflicts of interest due to Musk's position as the leader of DOGE, which stands for the Department of Government Efficiency, Democrats from the House Oversight Committee have expressed concerns about Musk’s impact on NASA. They aim to investigate whether his actions could unjustly advantage SpaceX. In a recent correspondence to the space agency, they asserted that "the evident conflicts of interest" resulting from Musk's involvement in the administration are unlawful and require immediate attention.
At NASA, where Mr. Musk has received substantial contracts and could potentially secure even more business, his disregard for recusal regulations and direct involvement in operational decisions clearly provide advantages to his enterprises," stated U.S. Representatives Gerry Connelly (D-Virginia) and Maxwell Frost (D-Florida). Additionally, they sought details regarding the measures being implemented at NASA to prevent Musk from obtaining data that might unfairly favor his companies against rivals.
In an independent correspondence to NASA, Representatives Zoe Lofgren (D-California) and Valerie Foushee (D-North Carolina), who serve on the House Science Committee, stated on Tuesday that the DOGE group "poses greater risks today" and currently enjoys "full unrestricted entry at all times—day and night—to NASA premises, encompassing areas such as the office suite of the NASA Administrator located on the ninth floor of the agency’s main headquarters."
A significant portion of the Wednesday hearing centered around the future trajectory of the space agency, with increasing debate about whether it should prioritize missions to the Moon or Mars. Despite NASA’s Artemis initiative, aimed at returning humans to the lunar surface, being established during President Trump's initial term, he has consistently shown preference for Mars exploration. He even asserted during his inaugural address that Americans would "hoist the Stars and Strines on the Martian terrain."
Mars has always been Musk's objective—and the driving force behind founding SpaceX. Both members of Congress and individuals within the aerospace sector worry that due to his significant sway, he might unilaterally pressure NASA into altering its direction in ways advantageous for SpaceX. Should officials decide to terminate funding for NASA’s SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft—intended for lunar missions—the agency may opt instead for SpaceX’s Starship system, another project spearheaded by Musk with ambitions extending all the way to Mars.
During his introductory remarks, Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who chairs the Commerce Committee, stated that shifting focus from the Moon to Mars would be catastrophic and enable China to reach there first, ahead of America’s potential return to the Moon.
We have to stick with our current strategy," he stated. "A drastic change in focus now would likely result in us giving up significant lunar territory to China for decades to follow. It’s challenging for me to conceive of a greater error in space policy than implying to communist China that they can claim the moon as their own.
Isaacman committed that NASA would target these two locations: "Just as the president mentioned, our priority is to send American astronauts to Mars. In doing so, we will naturally develop the capability to revisit the Moon and assess the potential scientific, economic, and national security advantages of having an ongoing presence on its surface."
When Cruz pushed him for a pledge to focus primarily on the Moon, Isaacman responded that NASA had the capability to manage multiple objectives at once. "Senator," he stated, "we don’t need to choose between one option or another; we can pursue both goals concurrently without making difficult compromises. We shouldn’t see this as an either/or scenario—Moon vs. Mars. Instead, I believe we should synchronize our endeavors and aim for what many consider unachievable."
He stated that the U.S. had to outperform China. "Losing is definitely not an option here. Should we fail to take the initiative and instead end up trailing behind, we might find ourselves perpetually following their footsteps with potentially immense repercussions."
However, NASA’s Artemis lunar mission has encountered postponements. A touchdown that NASA initially aimed for in 2024 is now scheduled for no earlier than 2027, and numerous experts believe this new target may not be feasible either. The agency’s Space Launch System rocket, which has consumed billions of dollars, remains years overdue and has only completed one launch so far. Additionally, the Orion capsule designed to transport crew members near the Moon faced issues with its thermal protection system, further contributing to these setbacks.
Nevertheless, these vehicles have garnered consistent backing from both parties in Congress for an extended period due primarily to their role in generating employment across numerous critical electoral districts. However, many within the aerospace industry argue that NASA ought to discontinue these initiatives and instead leverage commercially available rockets and spaceships like SpaceX’s Starship. It is worth noting that although Starship aims to achieve orbital flight and transport humans eventually, it hasn’t accomplished either feat thus far; moreover, recent attempts at testing encountered significant setbacks during successive launches.
When questioned regarding the future of the SLS and Orion, Isaacman stated that these systems represent the quickest path to reaching the Moon for upcoming missions such as Artemis II, which will send a crew into lunar orbit, and Artemis III, slated to make the first return trip with humans since the final Apollo mission in 1972. However, he remained flexible about potential alterations down the line.
I don't believe this is the optimal solution for frequent travel between Earth, the Moon, and Mars over the long term," he stated. "However, since this is our current strategy, we must ensure this crew orbits the Moon and the subsequent crew successfully lands on it.
Isaacman stated that he had a disagreement with Musk regarding a crucial matter: the future of the International Space Station. Musk supports deorbiting it within two years, and SpaceX holds the contract for this task. However, Isaacman believes that as long as NASA finds value in using the orbital lab for scientific research, they should keep operating it until at least 2030 when the administration plans to cease operations.
I believe we shouldn't bring it down right away," he stated. "We should maximize our utilization of the space station as long as we still have it.
A committee vote to move forward with Isaacman’s nomination to the entire Senate isn’t anticipated for several more weeks.