WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump has named a billionaire businessman who recently performed the first-ever private spacewalk to lead NASA.
Jared Isaacman made history in September when he exited a SpaceX Dragon capsule and became the 264th person to stand in space. Until that moment, only professional astronauts had accomplished such a feat.
Isaacman, 41, holds world records for two "speed-around-the world" flights -- in 2008 and 2009 -- that raised money for the Make-a-Wish Foundation.
The longtime pilot is a tech entrepreneur who founded the Shift4 credit card-processing company. As with nominees for other top positions in the next administration, he will require U.S. Senate confirmation.
The NASA Administrator serves as the agency's lead decision-maker and wields significant influence on policies and priorities related to the nation's space program.
Isaacman was inducted into the U.S. Space and Rocket Center Space Camp Hall of Fame in 2022.
Former senator and astronaut Bill Nelson has served as the administrator since May 2021.
