((Automated translation by Reuters, please see disclaimer https://bit.ly/rtrsauto))
(Corrected attribution of quotes in paragraphs 16 and 17 to Allen Cutler, executive director of the Deep Space Exploration Coalition, instead of Dan Stohr, coalition spokesperson) by Joey Roulette
President-elect Donald Trump's choice to lead NASA, a private astronaut and close ally of Elon Musk's SpaceX, is a central figure in a fast-moving, commercial aspect of the space industry that would face political challenges unfamiliar as an administrator.
Jared Isaacman, the chief executive of payment processing company Shift4 Payments FOUR.N , made landmark visits to space on two ambitious SpaceX missions, including the first-ever industry-funded spacewalk private in September.
In accepting Trump's decision, he envisioned a “thriving space economy” and pledged to “usher in an era where humanity becomes a true space civilization.”
But pursuing a faster, more privatized human spaceflight program is expected to involve a tricky political tango of scaling back expensive, well-established programs and wooing lawmakers to increase the space agency's $25 billion budget.
“He will definitely shake up NASA, but he will do it in a positive way,” said Garrett Reisman, a retired NASA astronaut who served as an advisor to SpaceX.
Musk had recommended Trump choose Isaacman and has since told associates that he saw the tech billionaire as someone who would get things done at NASA, according to two people familiar with the discussions. ) “He’s a man (of great ability and integrity,” Musk said Wednesday of Mr. Isaacman on his X platform.
NASA targets for Trump and Musk's cost-cutting agenda that Mr. Isaacman is expected to monitor include the agency's Space Launch System rocket, which has a budget of more than $24 billion, and the Gateway space station in under development, ready to settle into a lunar orbit, according to people familiar with the transition team's space plans.
Other projects expected to come under scrutiny include the agency's goal of bringing back soil samples from Mars – another NASA priority, alongside its Artemis lunar program.
Although likely to face pushback from lawmakers, cuts to NASA's costly programs could provide a boost to companies such as SpaceX, which have adopted cheaper, faster ways to get to space and offering rockets to the government as a private service.
This approach contrasts with the space agency's traditional method of contracting with companies like Boeing BA.N and Lockheed Martin LMT.N to build spacecraft that the agency itself fully owns, controls and funds. .
Mr. Trump's first NASA administrator, Jim Bridenstine, a former congressman from Oklahoma, proved capable of meeting these policy challenges. He helped secure budget increases for NASA's flagship crewed space exploration program and increase its reliance on private companies.
In a statement released Wednesday evening, Mr. Bridenstine called for Mr. Isaacman's Senate confirmation, saying his “vision for pushing boundaries, coupled with his proven success in private industry, makes him the ideal candidate to lead NASA into a bold new era of exploration and discovery.”
Since Trump's first term, NASA has focused heavily on returning humans to the Moon. But the Artemis program, which uses NASA's powerful Space Launch System (SLS) rocket to send astronauts into space and Musk's Starship rocket to land them on the moon, has run into budget problems and delays. , pushing back the planned landing to 2027.
NASA's reliance on SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule, which allows astronauts to travel to the International Space Station at a lower price than previous options, has bolstered the agency's cost-cutting business strategy. It has also galvanized an industrial culture that threatens the future of NASA's older and far more expensive SLS rocket, built primarily by Boeing and Northrop Grumman NOC.N with a workforce of 28,000 across the world. the country.
“Administrator-designate Isaacman, if confirmed, will face challenges in leading NASA into the future,” said Allen Cutler, chief executive of the industry group Coalition for Deep Space Exploration, which includes Boeing and Lockheed Martin among its members.
“Budget constraints, workforce and infrastructure needs will all play a role in shaping NASA's future,” Mr. Cutler added.
Current NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said he spoke with Mr. Isaacman to congratulate him on his interim appointment and to feel “fundamentally optimistic” about NASA's future under Trump.
“I think the relationship between Elon Musk and the president-elect will be beneficial in securing funding for NASA, so I see that as a positive,” Nelson said at a news conference Thursday.
