Billionaire spacewalker is back before the Senate seeking NASA's top job

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has been filling in as NASA's acting administrator since summer.

Returning astronauts to the moon for the first time in more than 50 years will be “a challenging endeavor to say the least,” Isaacman told the committee led by Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas.

NASA is targeting early next year for a lunar flyaround by four astronauts. They won't land on the moon; that would happen in another mission. The goal is to beat the Chinese there by the end of the decade.

“This is not the time for delay but a time for action because if we fall behind -- if we make a mistake -- we may never catch up, and the consequences could shift the balance of power here on Earth,” Isaacman told the committee.

Cruz agreed. “NASA cannot take its eyes off the ball,” he said, referring to China's looming moon plans. “The United States must remain the unquestioned leader in space exploration."

Isaacman was within days of being confirmed by the Senate as NASA’s 15th administrator when Trump pulled his nomination in May. The move came soon after Trump's falling out with SpaceX's Elon Musk. The president renominated Isaacman last month.

Cruz said Isaacman's second appearance “feels a bit like Groundhog Day” and hopes to have him confirmed by the end of the year.

In response to questioning by senators, Issacman described both the moon and Mars as priorities for exploration by U.S. crews, with parallel efforts underway. He said he supports Duffy's recent move to reopen the contract for the lunar lander needed for the first touchdown by astronauts under NASA's Artemis program.

Elon Musk's SpaceX won the original crew lunar lander contract with Starship, but the mega rocket remains in flight testing. Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin is hustling to gain the lead with its Blue Moon landers; a prototype is due to launch early next year.

Isaacman assured the senators that NASA will go with the first company capable of delivering U.S. astronauts to the lunar surface. “The best thing for SpaceX is a Blue Origin right on their heels, and vice versa,” he said. He also supports competition among world powers — “just as long as we don't lose.”

The 42-year-old founder of the payment processing company Shift4 performed the world's first private spacewalk last fall. He bankrolled both of his spaceflights. Several astronauts were present for the hearing, including some of Isaacman’s own crewmates.

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