Trump taps billionaire Jared Isaacman to lead NASA

• Though he lacks government experience, Isaacman will be one of the rare NASA administrators who has been to space, having flown on SpaceX missions.

Driving the news: "Jared will drive NASA's mission of discovery and inspiration, paving the way for groundbreaking achievements in Space science, technology, and exploration," Trump wrote in a Truth Social post Wednesday.

• Trump touted Isaacman's achievements as the founder of Shift4, a payment processing company, and the co-founder of Draken International, a private air defense firm.
• Isaacman wrote on X Wednesday that he was honored to receive the nomination and looked forward to helping "usher in an era where humanity becomes a true spacefaring civilization."

The big picture: In 2021, Isaacman led the first all-civilian mission to space on a chartered flight with SpaceX.

• Earlier this year, he led the Polaris Dawn mission as SpaceX's crew of civilian astronauts conducted the first commercial spacewalk.

• NASA has significant ties to SpaceX, relying on the company's rocket launches to take astronauts into space and bring supplies to the International Space Station.

Our thought bubble: The 2021 all-civilian mission was a proof-of-concept that the workforce needed to support visions of thousands — if not millions — of people living and working in space wouldn't require professional astronauts and government resources.

• But some people fear focusing on space as a business will come at a cost to science and exploration, which are central to NASA's mission.