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Jared Isaacman, the 42-year-old billionaire and SpaceX collaborator, told a U.S. Senate committee that the United States must return to the Moon before China and establish a permanent presence there.
Jared Isaacman’s comments come as his NASA nomination faces unusual turbulence: first proposed by Donald Trump in 2024, then withdrawn in April, and reinstated last month.
Isaacman now prioritises accelerating the delayed Artemis programme, warning that failure to meet deadlines would weaken U.S. credibility. Senators also questioned whether his links to SpaceX pose conflicts of interest.
Speaking before a Senate committee on December 3, the 42-year-old declared: “The United States will return to the Moon before our main rival, and we will establish a lasting presence there,” 20 Minutes reported.
Nomination drama
Isaacman’s path to leadership at NASA has been highly unusual. First nominated by Donald Trump in December 2024, he saw the nomination abruptly withdrawn last April before being reinstated in November.
His second appearance before the Senate reflected those political reversals, which have raised questions about the stability of the agency’s future direction, notes 20 Minutes.
Moon takes priority
According to 20 Minutes, in contrast to his earlier comments favouring a crewed Mars mission, Isaacman now emphasises the need to accelerate the Artemis programme, which has been beset by delays.
Questions remain over whether SpaceX — responsible for building the lunar lander — can deliver on schedule. A failure to do so, he warned, would undermine “American exceptionalism, far beyond the space sector.”
China aims to land astronauts on the Moon by 2030, a target that U.S. officials see as grounds for urgency in what some call a new “space race.”
Conflict-of-interest questions
If confirmed as NASA’s director of mission, Isaacman would oversee Artemis — a programme heavily dependent on SpaceX.
When pressed by senators, he denied having personal ties to Musk, saying, “I’m not here to favor or enrich entrepreneurs for personal gain,” reports 20 Minutes.
A disputed but prominent figure
Isaacman built his wealth in online payments before becoming a high-profile private astronaut. In 2024, he became the first non-professional astronaut to conduct a spacewalk, a milestone achieved during a SpaceX-organised mission.
Sources: 20 Minutes.
