Trump’s NASA Nominee Pledges to Ensure US Outpaces CCP to the Moon

On April 9, Jared Isaacman testified before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, vowing to transform NASA into a mission-driven organization. His vision includes ensuring that the United States outpaces communist China in returning to the moon, maintains its leadership in low-earth orbit, lands on Mars, and inspires future generations in the process.

“I aim to foster a robust mission-first culture at the agency,” he stated. “If we succeed in our missions to the moon, Mars, and beyond, the inspiration and STEM education will naturally follow. We must cultivate an ethos of ownership and accountability, where we acknowledge our mistakes, rectify them, and recommit to our vital objectives.”

Isaacman, a successful entrepreneur and veteran astronaut known for conducting the first private spacewalk, was nominated by President Donald Trump on December 4, 2024, to lead NASA.

Alongside fellow astronauts from his Polaris Dawn and Inspiration 4 missions, and with four selected NASA astronauts for Artemis II present, he encountered a bipartisan consensus on the urgency to outpace communist China in the ongoing space race while ensuring the agency’s objectives persist despite potential government funding reductions.

Isaacman aims to fulfill a role mandated by Congress to establish a permanent human presence either on the lunar surface or in lunar orbit, a directive outlined in the NASA Transition Authorization Act of 2017. He is also committed to Trump’s promise of having American astronauts place the U.S. flag on Mars.

Simultaneously, he will inherit significantly postponed multinational lunar initiatives, including the Artemis program’s Gateway lunar space station, intended to support a sustainable human presence on the moon as a precursor to Mars exploration. The Artemis II, the program’s inaugural crewed mission intended to orbit the moon, has already faced several delays, with the first moon landing since 1972 aimed for mid-2027.

In line with enhancing the efficiency of lunar programs, he expressed that identifying the reasons for the lengthy timelines and high costs of these initiatives would be one of his primary goals.

Isaacman was questioned about his support for ongoing programs, given his strong connections to Trump and Elon Musk, both of whom have sought comprehensive budget and staffing cuts across government, reminiscent of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), and the historical pattern of program cancellations across administrations.

“As of now, I do not intend to cancel any programs. Should I be confirmed, my priority will be to understand the current status of our initiatives,” he asserted.

During the hearing, he indicated that the Artemis program represents the quickest and most effective route to return Americans to the moon, although he does not consider it a long-term transportation solution to and from lunar destinations.

Furthermore, he believes NASA can develop a moon and Mars program simultaneously without reallocating resources from one to the other, stressing the importance of defining a “scientific, economic, and national security value” for maintaining a presence on the moon that goes beyond merely establishing a base.

Taking charge at home, Isaacman would also oversee the nearly three-decade-old International Space Station (ISS), which is slated for decommissioning by deorbiting in 2030, with no assurances that any commercial partners, such as Axiom, will be ready with a replacement station to ensure continued American presence in low earth orbit.

Committee members referenced Musk’s recent support for an accelerated deorbiting of the ISS and whether the intended administrator concurs with that perspective.

Isaacman disagreed, stressing the necessity to maximize the use of the ISS for as long as possible to accomplish extensive scientific research and to explore the future of the space economy in light of the emergence of commercial stations.

“NASA’s mission is to pursue the seemingly impossible, to tackle the most challenging engineering problems, to collaborate with commercial industry, and to include the global community in our endeavors,” he explained.

Meanwhile, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is making strides with its own space station, Tiangong, while expanding its satellite and anti-space capabilities. Senate Committee Chair, Ted Cruz (R-Texas), voiced concerns that while the CCP plans to land on the moon and create a permanent base with Russia by 2030, they might achieve a landing before the conclusion of Trump’s current term.

Isaacman reiterated that America must not relinquish low earth orbit or fall behind in the race to the moon against the communist Chinese and Russia.

“Space is the ultimate high ground,” he reiterated. “We cannot afford to cede that ground.”