— NASA has a new chief, just in time for the new year.

Jared "Rook" Isaacman, a billionaire entrepreneur who self-financed and flew on two history-making private spaceflights, was sworn into office on Thursday (Dec. 18), the day after the United States Senate voted 67 to 30 to confirm him as the space agency's administrator.

U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly administered the oath during a ceremony held at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington.

"I am deeply honored to be sworn in as NASA administrator," said Isaacman. "NASA's mission is as imperative and urgent as ever — to push the boundaries of human exploration, ignite the orbital economy, drive scientific discovery and innovate for the benefit of all of humanity."

Isaacman now leads NASA, its 40 active astronauts, 10 astronaut candidates in training and a recently-reduced workforce of 14,000 employees spread across 20 centers and facilities operating more than 100 active science, technology and human projects. He was nominated by President Donald Trump twice: first on Dec. 24, 2024, and then on Nov. 4, 2025, after concerns about Isaacman's political ties were addressed.

Isaacman is the 15th NASA Administrator to take office since the space agency's founding in 1958 and, at the age of 42, NASA's second chief to be born after the Apollo moon landings more than 50 years ago. He is also the first administrator to be born during the 30-year space shuttle program and first to attend Space Camp in his youth (he was inducted into the Space Camp Hall of Fame in 2022).

"In addition to my existing philanthropic efforts, I will donate my salary as Administrator to the U.S. Space & Rocket Center's Space Camp to help prepare the pioneers of tomorrow," said Isaacman in a separate statement.

During the time between the prior NASA Administrator, Bill Nelson, left and Isaacman was sworn in, the agency had two acting administrators — Janet Petro, the director of Kennedy Space Center, and Sean Duffy, Secretary of the Department of Transportation (Duffy held both titles during the five months).

"I wish Jared success as he begins his tenure and leads NASA as we go back to the moon in 2028," wrote Duffy on social media, adding his congratulations on Isaacman's confirmation.

Isaacman previously served as the chairman of Shift4, a payment processing company that he founded in 1999, and founder of Draken International, a contract air force that offers adversary training to the U.S., British and other NATO militaries using the largest fleet of privately-owned former military tactical jet aircraft in the world.

In 2021, Isaacman launched into space as commander of Inspiration4, the first "all-civilian" orbital mission (his three crewmates included two contest winners and a representative of the flight's charity partner, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital). Isaacman followed up that flight with another SpaceX Dragon mission, Polaris Dawn in 2024, during which he became the first commercial astronaut to perform a spacewalk (among a few other space history firsts).

Isaacman is the fourth head of NASA to have spaceflight experience (after career astronauts Richard Truly and Charles Bolden, and Nelson, who flew on the space shuttle as a Congressional observer/payload specialist. NASA astronaut Frederick Gregory served as acting administrator, as well.)

Isaacman's time at NASA begins just as the agency is preparing to send the first humans back to the moon since the end of the Apollo program in 1972. The White House on Thursday released a new space policy calling for NASA to land on the moon by 2028 and establish a permanent lunar outpost by 2030.

NASA is committed by law to carrying out the first several Artemis lunar missions using the existing architecture, but then it will rest with Isaacman to create a path forward to fulfill the President's policy. That will include enabling the near-term use of space nuclear power by deploying reactors on the moon — including one ready for launch by the end of the decade — and furthering the transition to a low Earth orbit economy where NASA is a customer rather than operator or provider.

"I look forward to ... restoring a mission-first culture at NASA — focused on achieving ambitious goals, to return American astronauts to the moon, establish an enduring presence on the lunar surface, and laying the groundwork to deliver on President Trump's vision of planting the Stars and Stripes on Mars," said Isaacman.