Trump's Nasa chief Jared Isaacman says will prioritise Mars missions but won't forget moon

Billionaire entrepreneur and spacewalker Jared Isaacman , nominated to lead Nasa, outlined his plans for the space agency’s future on Wednesday, announcing priortising Mars without turning its back on the Moon .

Speaking at a senate commerce, science and transportation committee hearing, Isaacman shared his vision for space exploration. US President Donald Trump nominated him to become Nasa’s 15th administrator. If confirmed, the 42-year-old would be the youngest person to head the agency and one of the few administrators to have flown in space.

“As the president stated, we will prioritize sending American astronauts to Mars and, along the way, we will inevitably have the capabilities to return to the moon," the spacewalker said in his opening remarks.

The hearing included four astronauts assigned to next year’s lunar flyby and all six crew members who flew with Isaacman on his private missions.

Isaacman has flown to orbit twice aboard SpaceX spacecraft and performed the world’s first private spacewalk last year.

“I have been relatively apolitical; I am not a scientist and I never worked at Nasa,” he told the committee.

“I do not think these are weaknesses.”

Despite his Mars-first approach, Isaacman was quick to reassure senators that he remains committed to the Artemis programme and returning astronauts to the Moon—particularly as global competition intensifies.

“I didn’t say we shouldn’t go to the Moon,” he clarified. “What’s taking so long to get back to the Moon and why does it cost so much money? I absolutely want to see us return to the Moon.”

He stressed that the Moon and Mars should not be viewed as competing goals. “I don’t think these are either-or,” he added.

Nasa’s Artemis programme aims to land astronauts near the Moon’s south pole by 2027 and eventually build a long-term lunar base. However, the mission has faced delays and soaring costs, particularly with its Space Launch System rocket, which has only flown once so far—in 2022 without crew.

Senator Ted Cruz , the committee chairman, raised concerns about deviating from Artemis at a crucial stage, warning that any drastic shift could hand the advantage to China.

“An extreme shift in priorities at this stage would almost certainly mean a red Moon, ceding ground to China for generations to come,” Cruz cautioned.

Isaacman’s close ties to SpaceX and its CEO Elon Musk—who is pushing hard for Mars through test launches of the reusable Starship rocket—have added intrigue to the nomination. Nasa has selected Starship for its first two Moon landings under Artemis.