The Senate on Wednesday approved US President Donald Trump’s renomination of billionaire Jared Isaacman to head Nasa, following months of backtracking and uncertainty over the space agency’s future.
The 42-year-old businessman made his fortune in online payment processing and has a personal passion for space.
He will take over as administrator of the US agency at a sensitive time – when it faces major budget cuts and pressure to travel to the moon again and eventually reach Mars.
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The Trump administration wants to send a manned US mission to the moon as soon as possible to outpace similar plans by China.
During his second confirmation hearing in December, Isaacman pledged he would ensure the success of the Artemis lunar exploration programme that began in 2017, during the first Trump administration.
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“America will return to the moon before our great rival, and we will establish an enduring presence to understand and realise the scientific, economic and national security value on the lunar surface,” Isaacman said.