Jared Isaacman

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Jared Isaacman
Jared Isaacman Senate Confirmation Hearing (cropped).jpg
Isaacman at his Senate confirmation hearing in April 2025
Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Nominee
Assuming office
TBD

Jared Taylor Isaacman (born February 11, 1983) is an American billionaire entrepreneur, pilot, and commercial astronaut. He is the founder and CEO of Shift4 Payments, a payment processor, and the founder of Draken International, which provides adversary training to the U.S., British, and other NATO air forces. [3] Through his leadership in private spaceflight, Isaacman has been credited with advancing competition in the space industry and reducing reliance on government programs. [4] [5] [6] As of September 2024, his estimated net worth is US$1.9 billion. [7] [8]

Contents

Isaacman commanded Inspiration4 - the first all-civilian spaceflight - using SpaceX's Crew Dragon Resilience which launched from Kennedy Space Center on September 16, 2021. He later led Polaris Dawn, during which he became the first private citizen to perform a spacewalk. [9] In December 2024, President Donald Trump nominated him to serve as the 15th Administrator of NASA. [10] During his April 2025 confirmation hearing, Isaacman emphasized his outsider status and entrepreneurial background, stating his intent to usher in a "new Golden Age of Science and Discovery" at the agency. [11] He faced questions over his close ties to Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX, one of NASA's largest contractors. [12]

Early life

Isaacman was born on February 11, 1983, at Overlook Hospital in Summit, New Jersey, to Donald and Sandra Marie Isaacman. [13] [14] He is the youngest of four children. His family lived in Union Township before moving to Westfield, New Jersey, around 1987, and later to the Liberty Corner section of Bernards Township when he was 12. [15]

He attended Wilson Elementary School in Westfield and William Annin Middle School in Bernards Township [16] . While a student at Ridge High School, he launched a computer services business with a friend. At age 16, he left school to work full-time, later earning a GED. [17] He graduated with a bachelor's degree in Professional Aeronautics from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Worldwide Campus, in 2011. [18] [19]

Business career

In 1999, Isaacman founded United Bank Card, later renamed Harbortouch and then Shift4 Payments, a point-of-sale payments company. He has served as CEO since its inception. By 2015, the company was generating $300 million in revenue and processing $11 billion annually. [20] By 2020, it had scaled to $200 billion in payments per year. [3] In the same year, Isaacman took Shift4 public and began processing payments for SpaceX's satellite-internet business, Starlink. [21]

In 2012, Isaacman co-founded Draken International, a Florida-based defense aerospace company that operated one of the world’s largest fleets of privately owned fighter jets. [20] [22] The company provided adversary training to U.S. military pilots and managed hundreds of millions in defense contracts, which Isaacman said saved taxpayers billions of dollars. [11]

Aeronautics and astronautics

Pilot

Isaacman's MiG-29UB performing at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh in 2023 Mikoyan-Gurevich 9-51 MiG-29UB (N29UB, cn 50903014896) (7-28-2023).jpg
Isaacman's MiG-29UB performing at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh in 2023

Isaacman is flight-qualified in multiple military jet aircraft and has logged over 7,000 flight hours. He co-founded the Black Diamond Jet Team, in 2010, which performs at airshows. [22] [23] He made two attempts to break the world record for circumnavigating the globe in a light jet, achieving the record in 2009 with a time of 61 hours, 51 minutes, and 15 seconds—about 20 hours faster than the previous record. [20] [24] [25] He received the call sign "Rook" during fighter jet training. [26]

Private spaceflight

Inspiration4

Inspiration4 launch carrying Jared Isaacman Inspiration4 Launch (210915-F-CG053-1004).jpg
Inspiration4 launch carrying Jared Isaacman

In February 2021, Isaacman announced he would command Inspiration4, the first orbital mission with no professional astronauts aboard. Operated by SpaceX using the Crew Dragon spacecraft, it launched on September 15, 2021, and orbited Earth for three days. [27] [28] [29] [30] During the mission, Isaacman placed the first known sports bets from space. [31] The flight raised over $250 million for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, a cause Isaacman championed throughout the mission. [11]

Polaris Dawn

In 2024, Isaacman led Polaris Dawn, the first mission in the privately funded Polaris Program. [32] The four-person crew reached a peak altitude of 1,400 km (870 mi), farther away from Earth than any human has gone since the last time Americans walked on the Moon, before lowering to 700 km (430 mi). On September 12, Isaacman and crewmate Sarah Gillis performed the first private extravehicular activity (EVA), becoming the first civilians to conduct a spacewalk. [33] Over the five-day flight, the crew conducted 40 science experiments and demonstrated Starlink laser-based communications in orbit. [34] [31]

Administrator of NASA

Nomination

Isaacman speaks at his confirmation hearing Jared Isaacman Senate Confirmation Hearing (NHQ202504090003).jpg
Isaacman speaks at his confirmation hearing

On December 4, 2024, Isaacman was nominated by President-elect Donald Trump to serve as the 15th Administrator of NASA, marking the first time a President-elect had named a nominee for the position before taking office. [4] His nomination was formally submitted on Inauguration Day, January 20, 2025, making Trump both the earliest and latest nominating president, following the September 2017 selection of Jim Bridenstine during his first presidency. [10]

Isaacman’s nomination received broad support from both political and aerospace circles. Senator Ted Cruz, chair of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, received endorsements from 24 former astronauts, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey, and a coalition of southern governors urging swift confirmation. [35] However, critics raised concerns about his ties to SpaceX and Elon Musk, fearing NASA might prioritize a Mars landing driven by SpaceX's ambitions at the expense of the Artemis mission to the Moon and other programs. [36] These concerns intensified following Musk’s calls to decommission the International Space Station and the abandonment of lunar exploration in favor of accelerated Mars missions, statements that provoked sharp criticism from Cruz. [37]

In a March 12 letter to the Senate, Isaacman pledged to resign from his role at Shift4 and cancel the remaining Polaris Program missions if confirmed. [38] He reiterated this commitment during his April 9 confirmation hearing, and assured lawmakers that the Artemis and Commercial Lunar Payload Services programs would remain top priorities under his leadership. [39] [40]

Over nearly three hours of testimony, Isaacman presented a vision of revitalizing NASA with a "mission-first" culture focused on efficiency, innovation, and strategic leadership in space. While expressing support for Artemis II and III using the Space Launch System rocket and the Orion spacecraft, he questioned the long timelines and high costs of these systems, pointedly asking, “Why is it taking us so long, and why is it costing us so much to go to the Moon?” Isaacman advocated for data-driven reviews of their future roles, signaling that they may not be viable long-term solutions for deep space exploration. He also pledged to extend the life of the ISS through 2030 and expand scientific output through public-private partnerships. Pressed by senators on restructuring, conflicts of interest, and the rationale for Mars exploration, Isaacman emphasized transparency, independence, and a dual-track approach to Moon and Mars. [40]

A committee vote is expected after April 15, with a full Senate vote likely later in the spring. If confirmed, Isaacman would succeed acting administrator Janet Petro. [40]

Personal life

Isaacman is Jewish, though he has stated he is not religious. [41] He is married to Monica Isaacman and has two daughters, Mila and Liv. [11] Isaacman has been a resident of Washington Township, New Jersey. [24]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Allentown to orbit: Billionaire buys SpaceX flight, and there is a way to join him". February 2, 2021.
  2. ↑ McDowell, Jonathan [@planet4589] (September 12, 2024). "The hatch open/close time was about 26m 40s. Isaacman was outside hatch for 7 min 56m; Gillis for about 7m15s" (Tweet). Retrieved September 12, 2024– via Twitter.
  3. 1 2 Tognini, Giacomo (October 7, 2020). "Meet The New Billionaire Who Dropped Out of High School and Flies Fighter Jets for Fun". Forbes. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  4. 1 2 Wall, Mike (December 4, 2024). "Trump picks billionaire private SpaceX astronaut Jared Isaacman to lead NASA". Space.com. Retrieved December 6, 2024.
  5. ↑ Harwood, William. "Trump taps billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman as next NASA administrator". CBS News.
  6. ↑ "Nasa needs saving from itself – but is this billionaire right for that job?". www.bbc.com. February 2, 2025. Retrieved February 3, 2025.
  7. ↑ "Forbes profile: Jared Isaacman". Forbes. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
  8. ↑ "Jared Isaacman, the billionaire behind historic spacewalk". BBC news.
  9. ↑ "First Private Spacewalk in SpaceX Capsule Achieves New Milestone". The New York Times . September 12, 2024. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
  10. 1 2 kparnitzke (January 20, 2025). "President Trump Announces Sub-Cabinet Appointments". The White House. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Isaacman, Jared (April 9, 2025). "Opening Remarks at Nominations Hearing for Jared Isaacman to be Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration". United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation . Retrieved April 10, 2025.
  12. ↑ Chang, Kenneth (April 9, 2025). "Jared Isaacman, Trump's Pick to Lead NASA, Calls Mars a Priority in Confirmation Hearing". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331.
  13. ↑ "Jared Isaacman". Business Jet Traveler. November 15, 2011. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
  14. ↑ "Private Astronauts Biography:Jared Isaacman". spacefacts.de. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
  15. ↑ "Union County Clerk's Office Public Land Records". clerk.ucnj.org. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
  16. ↑ Samuels, Remy. "Billionaire Space Explorer, Westfield Alum Visits Wilson School; Jared Isaacman, the Westfield native who orbited Earth on the 'Resilience' mission last fall, visited Wilson Elementary on Wednesday.", Westfield, NJ Patch, March 18, 2022. Accessed September 18, 2024. "Besides attending Westfield Public Schools from kindergarten through sixth grade many years ago, Isaacman was the commander of an all-civilian crew of the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, dubbed Resilience, that orbited Earth last September."
  17. ↑ "Billionaire journeys from Ridge High School to space", Bernardsville News, February 10, 2021. Accessed September 18, 2024. "When Jared Isaacman dropped out of Ridge High School more than 20 years ago to pursue a successful career in business, it seemed like the sky was the limit.... In the same interview, he also mentioned his former hometown of Bernards Township."
  18. ↑ Harper, Mark (March 31, 2021). "2 ERAU grads will crew SpaceX Inspiration 4 rocket launch later this year". The Daytona Beach News-Journal .
  19. ↑ "Who is Jared Isaacman, NJ-born billionaire who just did first-ever private spacewalk?". NBC News . September 13, 2024. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
  20. 1 2 3 Segran, Elizabeth (April 13, 2015). "Meet The Fighter-Jet-Flying 32-Year-Old On Top Of The Payments Industry". Fast Company. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
  21. ↑ Maidenberg, Micah (February 22, 2025). "The Thrill-Seeking Billionaire and SpaceX Astronaut Poised to Run NASA". WSJ. Retrieved March 9, 2025.
  22. 1 2 Whitford, David (October 25, 2017). "This Founder Owns the World's Largest Private Fleet of Fighter Jets – and That's Just One of His Companies". Inc.com . Retrieved August 23, 2020.
  23. ↑ Thomas Burghardt (February 1, 2021). "SpaceX announces Inspiration4, all-civilian space mission in support of St Jude's Hospital". NasaSpaceFlight.com.
  24. 1 2 Sarah Schillaci (April 10, 2009). "Warren County man attempts flight around globe in record time". New Jersey Local News. Star Ledger.
  25. ↑ "Warren County pilot back at Morristown Airport after breaking world flight record". New Jersey Local News. April 15, 2009. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
  26. ↑ Thompson, Amy (September 15, 2021). "Inspiration4's call signs: The crew of SpaceX's all-civilian mission have special nicknames". Space.com. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
  27. ↑ Chang, Kenneth (February 1, 2021). "To Get on This SpaceX Flight, You Don't Have to Be Rich, Just Lucky". The New York Times . Archived from the original on February 1, 2021. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  28. ↑ Berger, Eric (February 1, 2021). "SpaceX announces first 'free flyer' human spaceflight". Ars Technica. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  29. ↑ updated, Amy Thompson last (September 16, 2021). "SpaceX launches four civilians into orbit on historic Inspiration4 flight". Space.com. Archived from the original on September 11, 2024. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
  30. ↑ Sheetz, Michael (September 18, 2021). "SpaceX's private Inspiration4 mission splashes down safely in Atlantic Ocean". CNBC. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
  31. 1 2 "Inspiration4 leader places first-ever sports bet from space". Fox Business . September 17, 2021. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
  32. ↑ Kluger, Jeffrey (August 23, 2021). "Inside Inspiration 4". Time. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
  33. ↑ "First Private Spacewalk in SpaceX Capsule Achieves New Milestone". The New York Times . September 12, 2024. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
  34. ↑ Rabie, Passant (February 5, 2021). "Who is Jared Issacman? 29 facts about the billionaire going to orbit with SpaceX". Inverse. Bustle Digital Group. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
  35. ↑ Berger, Eric (March 25, 2025). "Momentum seems to be building for Jared Isaacman to become NASA administrator". Ars Technica. Retrieved March 27, 2025.
  36. ↑ Maidenberg, Emily Glazer and Micah. "Elon Musk's Mission to Take Over NASA—and Mars". WSJ. Retrieved April 3, 2025.
  37. ↑ Berger, Eric (February 20, 2025). "Elon Musk recommends that the International Space Station be deorbited ASAP". Ars Technica. Retrieved March 27, 2025.
  38. ↑ Isaacman, Jared (March 12, 2025). "Letter to Iris Lan, Designated Agency Ethics Official of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration" (PDF). Retrieved March 27, 2025.
  39. ↑ Roulette, Joey (April 7, 2025). "Trump's NASA nominee backs US moon program in talks with lawmakers, sources say". reuters.com. Retrieved April 7, 2025.
  40. 1 2 3 Berger, Eric (April 9, 2025). "NASA nominee asks why lunar return has taken so long, and why it costs so much". Ars Technica. Retrieved April 10, 2025.
  41. ↑ Wattles, Jackie (September 15, 2021). "How to practice religion could be a big question for some space tourists | CNN Business". CNN. Retrieved September 12, 2024.


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