Recently appointed NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman told CNBC on Friday that the United States will return to the moon within President Donald Trump’s second term.
Isaacman, a close ally of SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, told CNBC’s “Closing Bell Overtime” that President Trump’s recommitment to moon exploration is key to the “orbital economy.”
“We want to have the opportunity to explore and realize the scientific, economic and national security potential of the Moon,” he said.
Isaacman’s comments Friday were some of his first public remarks since his position was confirmed by the Senate last week after a long saga spanning 2025.
President Trump originally nominated Isaacman to be NASA administrator in December 2024, but the president abruptly withdrew the nomination in May, citing Isaacman’s “previous relationship.” Trump did not say what they were, but some have suggested they may be related to the close relationship between Musk and Isaacman, who had a bitter feud with Trump over the summer.
President Trump nominated Isaacman, an entrepreneur and commercial astronaut in 2021 after leading an orbiting mission aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft, in November.
Opportunities on the moon include the establishment of space data centers and infrastructure, as well as the possibility of mining helium-3, a rare gas buried in the moon’s surface that could be the primary fuel for fusion power generation, Isaacman said.
He added that after NASA builds a “lunar base,” it will consider investing in nuclear power and space nuclear propulsion for further exploration.
NASA currently has SpaceX, Jeff Bezo’s Blue Origin, boeingto participate in the Artemis Campaign, a lunar exploration program that also aims to prepare for a Mars mission.
The campaign comes after President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act allocated $9.9 billion to NASA earlier this year.
Isaacman said the Artemis II mission, NASA’s first test flight with a Space Launch System rocket and crew aboard the Orion spacecraft, is scheduled to take off in the near future.
The expedition will be followed up with the Artemis III mission, for which SpaceX is contracted to build a lunar landing system.
SpaceX and Blue Origin are improving their heavy-lift launch vehicles with cryogenic propeller movement in orbit to make them more easily reusable, he added.
“This will allow us to affordably and frequently travel to the moon and back, as well as prepare for missions to Mars and beyond,” Isaacman said.
