Billionaire investor Jared Isaacman was confirmed as Nasa’s next chief, capping an unusual nomination process where US President Donald Trump put his name forward, withdrew it, and then renominated him.
Isaacman, an amateur jet pilot who became the first non-professional astronaut to conduct a spacewalk, is the first NASA administrator in decades to come directly from outside government.
For many, the success of his tenure will be decided by one crucial test – whether it can return humans to the Moon ahead of China.
Trump has made clear he wants the US to establish a permanent lunar base, both to enable resource extraction and to serve as a stepping stone to Mars.
On Wednesday, Isaacman’s nomination passed in a 67-30.
Trump initially pulled Isaacman’s nomination in May, citing a “thorough review of prior associations”.
At the time, the president was publicly feuding with Elon Musk, one of his largest political donors and the chief executive of SpaceX, with whom Isaacman has professional ties.
Isaacman says he is now fully behind Trump’s mission to mine the moon, putting him at odds with Musk who has said that going to the Moon is a distraction from travelling to Mars.
In the current space battle, countries are racing to exploit the lunar surface.
“This is not the time for delay but a time for action because if we fall behind – if we make a mistake – we may never catch up, and the consequences could shift the balance of power here on Earth,” Isaacman told US Senators earlier this month.
The billionaire entrepreneur sees bringing in more private sector competition as key to accomplishing those goals, according to a recently leaked document laying out his vision for Nasa.
In his confirmation hearing, he stood by the plan, which he developed when he was first nominated, but said it was a work in progress, according to The Hill.
His openness to competition could also create a conflict with Musk. Last week, Isaacman praised the award of a major contract to Blue Origin, owned by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, which is one of the few rivals of Musk’s SpaceX.
In the leaked plan, he suggested NASA should increasingly partner with universities and academic institutions, positioning the agency as a “force multiplier for science”.
He highlighted the planned 2027 launch of the Roman Space Telescope as a flagship example.
“And if we are on the verge of something extraordinary – like launching Roman – I will explore every option to get the program to the pad, even funding it myself if that’s what it takes to deliver the science,” he wrote.
According to Forbes, Isaacman’s net worth is estimated at $1.2bn (£894m), made mostly from his payment processing company and the sale of his firm that trained pilots and operated a private fleet of military aircraft.
The NASA administrator role will be his first job in politics, a departure from the last two people appointed as head of the agency.
He will succeed Sean Duffy, the transportation secretary, who has served as interim NASA chief since July.
Correction 17 December: An earlier version of this story incorrectly said Mr Isaacman had been confirmed by the Senate when at that point his nomination had only passed a procedural vote.
