"Jared will advance NASA's mission of discovery and inspiration, paving the way for breakthroughs in science, technology, and space exploration," President-elect Trump said in a post on the Truth Social platform.

"Jared's passion for space, his experience as an astronaut, and his dedication to pushing the boundaries of exploration, explaining the mysteries of the universe, and fueling a new space economy make him the ideal person to lead NASA into a bold new era," Trump said.

Commenting on Mr. Trump's announcement, Mr. Isaacman shared on the X platform: "I am honored to receive President-elect Trump's nomination to be the next leader of NASA."

“Space has unparalleled potential to create breakthroughs in manufacturing, biotechnology, mining, and perhaps even a pathway to new energy sources,” Isaacman said, adding that he hoped the United States would lead the charge in what would be the most powerful journey in human history.

Mr. Isaacman (41 years old) is the CEO of the payment processing company Shift4 Payments (USA). Mr. Isaacman is also the co-founder and leader of Draken International - a private fighter jet manufacturing company and a contractor for the US Department of Defense. Mr. Isaacman is known as a close associate of billionaire Elon Musk and a regular customer of the SpaceX space corporation (USA).

If confirmed by the Senate, Isaacman, who has no government or political experience, would oversee NASA’s roughly $25 billion budget, Reuters reported. The agency’s top priority is returning humans to the moon under the Artemis program, an effort promoted by Trump during his first term. Isaacman is expected to rely on private companies to provide commercial access to space.

Trump's pick to lead NASA comes months earlier than previous presidential transitions.