Trump’s Nasa pick a boon for SpaceX expected to face political challenges
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Shift4 Payments CEO Jared Isaacman was part of the first privately funded spacewalk in September.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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WASHINGTON – President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to helm Nasa, a private astronaut and close ally of Mr Elon Musk’s SpaceX, is a central figure of a speedy, commercial-focused side of the space industry who would face unfamiliar political challenges as an administrator.
Mr Jared Isaacman, chief executive officer of payment processing company Shift4 Payments, has made landmark visits to space on two ambitious SpaceX missions, including the first-ever privately funded spacewalk in September.
In accepting Trump’s decision,
But the path to pursuing a faster, more privatised human spaceflight agenda is expected to involve a delicate political tango of trimming costly, entrenched programmes and wooing lawmakers to increase the space agency’s US$25 billion (S$33 billion) budget.
“He’s going to definitely push Nasa, but he’ll do it in a positive way,” said Mr Garrett Reisman, a retired Nasa astronaut who has been an adviser to SpaceX.
Mr Musk recommended Trump pick Mr Isaacman and has since told associates he sees the tech billionaire as someone who will get things done at Nasa, according to two people familiar with the discussions.
“He is a man (of) high ability and integrity,” Mr Musk said Dec 4 of Mr Isaacman on his X platform.
Targets at Nasa for Trump and Mr Musk’s cost-cutting agenda that Mr Isaacman is expected to eye include the agency’s over-budget, US$24 billion Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the in-development Gateway space station poised to sit in a lunar orbit, according to people familiar with the transition team’s space plans.
Other projects expected to face scrutiny include the agency’s goal to return soil samples from Mars – another top Nasa priority alongside its Artemis moon programme.
‘Basically optimistic’
While likely to face pushback from lawmakers, cuts to expensive Nasa programmes could mean boosts to companies such as SpaceX that have embraced cheaper and faster means of getting to space and offering rockets to the government as a privately owned service.
That approach has contrasted with the space agency’s traditional method of company contracting, where companies like Boeing and Lockheed Martin build spacecraft that the agency itself owns, controls and fully funds.
Trump’s first Nasa administrator, former Oklahoma Representative Jim Bridenstine, proved adept at navigating those political challenges. He was instrumental in winning budget boosts for Nasa’s flagship crewed space exploration program and upping its dependence on private companies.
Since Trump’s first term, Nasa has focused heavily on returning humans to the moon. But the Artemis programme
Nasa’s reliance on SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule, providing astronaut rides to the International Space Station at a cheaper price than previous options, has reinforced the agency’s commercial cost-savings strategy.
It has also galvanised an industry culture that threatens the future of Nasa’s older and far more expensive SLS rocket, built mainly by Boeing and Northrop Grumman with a countrywide workforce of 28,000.
“Administrator-nominee Isaacman, if confirmed, will face challenges as he leads Nasa into the future,” said Mr Dan Stohr, CEO of the industry group Coalition for Deep Space Exploration, which counts Boeing and Lockheed Martin as members.
“Budget limitations, workforce and infrastructure needs will all play a role in shaping Nasa’s future,” Mr Stohr added.
Nasa’s current administrator, Mr Bill Nelson, said he spoke with Mr Isaacman to congratulate his tentative nomination and feels “basically optimistic” about the future of Nasa under Trump.
“I think the relationship between Elon Musk and the president-elect is going to be a benefit to making sure that the funding for Nasa is there, so I see that as a positive,” Mr Nelson told reporters. REUTERS
