What to expect from NASA as their 15th administrator takes office

With the second term of the Trump administration beginning, Donald Trump has nominated private astronaut, philanthropist, and entrepreneur Jared Isaacman to become the next administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). 

Isaacman, the first private citizen to perform a spacewalk, became interested in the spaceflight scene after he received his jet pilot’s license and broke the world record for the fastest circumnavigation of the globe in a light jet. A billionaire who made his fortune from various tech startups, Isaacman paid for a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft flight, giving away two of the seats to other private citizens. Following this, he purchased and commanded another private mission aboard a Crew Dragon spacecraft, during which he became the first private citizen to perform a spacewalk. 

In December 2024, following Donald Trump winning re-election, the president-elect chose Isaacman to be his nominee for NASA administrator. Isaacman has accepted the nomination and has laid forth several ideas he wishes to implement during his tenure in office. Notably, Isaacman has put forward a proposal to extend the lifespan of the Hubble Space Telescope by boosting its orbit with a Crew Dragon spacecraft. This idea was initially rejected by NASA, but with Isaacman as administrator, he will likely be able to get the mission approved and flown. This will result in another 5-10 years of operation for Hubble, which launched back in 1990.

Isaacman will also serve as Administrator during the Artemis II and III missions, where American astronauts will return to the Moon for the first time since 1972. The Artemis program has the goal of establishing a permanent human presence on the Moon, and Isaacman, with his ties to private spaceflight, may be able to speed up the process by outsourcing components of the program to companies such as SpaceX and Blue Origin.

For programs following Isaacman’s time as administrator, which will end in 2028, Isaacman and the Trump administration at large may be able to help push forward new legislation for space missions. Most notably, in his inauguration speech, President Trump stated, “We will pursue our manifest destiny into the stars, launching American astronauts to plant the Stars and Stripes on the planet Mars.” This announcement of an eventual manned Mars program being supported by the president means that Congress is likely to increase NASA’s budget in the coming fiscal year, which may give Isaacman more resources to work with.

Isaacman, a break from the norm of government employees or congressmen becoming administrators, will be able to speed up NASA’s current programs while starting new ones, all in the pursuit of a future of humans in space. Isaacman is expected to be confirmed as administrator within the next few months, and from there, will be able to implement his changes to improve spaceflight.