Musk friend should not become NASA chief after all
First, the US president described billionaire Jared Isaacman as "ideal" for the top position at the space agency. Now, Donald Trump is backtracking. Are his differences with Elon Musk the reason?
Billionaire and space tourist Jared Isaacman, nominated by US President Donald Trump as the new head of the space agency NASA, will not take the position after all. Trump announced via his online mouthpiece Truth Social that he had withdrawn the 42-year-old's nomination "after a thorough review of past connections." He will soon announce a new candidate who will "put America first in space."
Elon Musk is disappointedTrump nominated the confidant of tech billionaire Elon Musk as the successor to the resigned NASA chief Bill Nelson upon taking office in January. According to media reports, the appointment was expected to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate shortly. Musk expressed disappointment over Isaacman's withdrawal, writing on the X platform: "It's rare to find someone as competent and kind-hearted as you."
Trump's departure from his former candidate comes as a surprise. In December of last year, he had praised Isaacman highly. With his experience as an astronaut, Trump said Isaacman was "ideally suited (...) to lead NASA into a bold new era," and Isaacman had enthusiastically stated that he was looking forward to the NASA leadership position.
A professional in spaceIsaacman has caused a stir in recent years with two private space missions: In 2021, he was part of the first all-non-professional astronaut crew in space, orbiting Earth for almost three days with three other astronauts. In September 2024, he and three other space tourists participated in the "Polaris Dawn" mission , during which they hovered at an altitude of approximately 1,400 kilometers and briefly exited their spacecraft.
On both missions, Isaacman worked with SpaceX, the private space company owned by Elon Musk, who left his post as cost-cutting chief in the Trump administration on Friday after a turbulent few months. According to the New York Times, Trump's personnel decision regarding NASA may also be related to Musk's dwindling influence in the administration. The newspaper also reports that the Republican learned that Isaacman had supported Democrats with party donations in the past.
haz/pg (dpa, rtr, afp, ap)
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