(Washington) After several reversals, Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that he was reappointing billionaire Jared Isaacman, a close friend of Elon Musk, to take the helm of the powerful American space agency (NASA), after having dismissed him in May.
“Jared’s passion for space, his experience as an astronaut and his dedication to pushing the boundaries of exploration, unlocking the mysteries of the universe and advancing the new space economy make him the ideal person to lead NASA into a bold new era,” the American president explained on his Truth Social network.
At the end of May, the Republican withdrew his nomination at the last minute to take the helm of NASA, justifying his change of heart with a “thorough examination” of the “previous associations” of the businessman, who had in the past made donations to elected Democrats.
This reversal came at the very time when relations between Donald Trump and multi-billionaire Elon Musk were deteriorating, tensions between the two men having ended up spectacularly exploding in early June.
Since then, a relative calm has seemed to take place between the two men, who were notably seen side by side during a tribute in September to conservative influencer Charlie Kirk.
Donald Trump first nominated Jared Isaacman last December, a choice that raised concerns about possible conflicts of interest.
The 42-year-old businessman is known to be very close to SpaceX boss Elon Musk, with whom he has close financial ties, but is supported by many players in the space sector who consider him competent and passionate.
“Thank you, Mr. President,” responded Mr. Isaacman on Tuesday on Elon Musk’s X platform, thanking the “community of space lovers.” Elon Musk reacted by sharing three emoticons on his network: a heart, a rocket and the American flag.
The nomination of Jared Isaacman to head NASA must now be confirmed by the US Senate.
Jared Isaacman made his fortune in online payments at the head of his company Shift4 Payment and is also the first private astronaut to have carried out an extra-vehicular walk in space, during a private mission led by… SpaceX.
His new appointment comes after strong tensions between Elon Musk and Trump’s Transportation Minister Sean Duffy in charge of interim management of NASA.
The multi-billionaire recently attacked Mr. Duffy head-on after the latter raised the possibility of doing without his company to return to the Moon, due to delays by SpaceX. Words which had irritated the multi-billionaire to the highest degree.
According to press reports, Mr. Duffy was opposed to Mr. Isaacman being appointed a second time and wanted to remain in charge of NASA.
