--- title: "Incoming Head of NASA Puts SpaceX in Its Place: “They Work for Us, Not the Other Way Around”" description: "SpaceX astronaut and incoming NASA head Jared Isaacman took a notable turn away from the space firm that enabled both of his trips into orbit." date: "2025-04-09" modified: "2025-04-09" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/jared-isaacman-nasa-spacex" categories: - "NASA" - "Space" - "SpaceX" tags: - "artemis" - "elon musk" - "jared isaacman" - "moon" - "NASA" - "SpaceX" --- # Incoming Head of NASA Puts SpaceX in Its Place: “They Work for Us, Not the Other Way Around” ![SpaceX astronaut and incoming NASA head Jared Isaacman took a notable turn away from the space firm that enabled both of his trips into orbit.]() *\Image: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images\* During his confirmation hearing in front of Congress today, incoming NASA administrator and billionaire fighter jet pilot-turned-SpaceX astronaut Jared Isaacman took a notable turn away from the private space company that enabled both of his trips into orbit. Members of the Senate Commerce, Science and Technology committee overseeing the proceedings repeatedly questioned Isaacman over his conflict of interest — and his relationship with SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. After all, the optics of a wealthy individual with a close relationship with one of NASA's biggest contractors is bound to raise some eyebrows. Just this week, House Democrats [kicked off investigations]() into Musk's conflict of interest, probing whether he was using the space agency to enrich himself. When asked if Isaacman had been in touch at all with Musk to privately discuss matters at NASA, Isaacman had a resounding answer. "Not at all, senator," he said. Isaacman used today's meeting to head off any concerns that his cozy relationship with Musk's firm won't get in the way, a major contention point that's been brewing ever since Trump appointed him. "I want to absolutely be clear," he added. "My loyalty is to this nation, the space agency, and their world-changing mission." "They're the contractors, NASA is the customer," he also said. "They work for us, not the other way around." Isaacman invoked the relationship between private entities and NASA's leadership during its groundbreaking Apollo program over half a century ago to argue that the agency had always valued an outsider perspective. "I have to imagine that in the 1960s, \[NASA administrator James Edwin Webb\] would've taken phone calls and welcomed the input from all the various contractors that were contributing to the endeavor." Isaacman also [threw his weight behind NASA's existing Artemis program](), which Musk has previously described as a "[distraction]()" and "[extremely inefficient]()." It's a notable deviation. If it were up to Musk, the agency would ditch its extremely expensive and behind-schedule Space Launch System (SLS) rocket in favor of SpaceX's Starship, and fly straight to Mars instead. When asked if Isaacman supported the agency's SLS and Artemis mission architecture, he chose his words carefully. "Senator, this is the current plan," he said. "I do believe it's the best and fastest way to get there." However, Isaacman left the door open for future missions, possibly involving SpaceX. "I don't think it's the long-term way to get to and from the Moon and to Mars with great frequency," he said, faintly echoing Musk's claims that an [entire city could be built on Mars using 1,000 Starships](). During his statement, Isaacman repeatedly motioned to the crew of four NASA astronauts, who are scheduled to travel to and around the Moon as part of the agency's Artemis 2 mission, who attended today's hearing. "But this is the plan we have now and we've gotta get this crew around the Moon, and the follow-on crew to land on the Moon," he added. During the event, Isaacman also pointedly broke with Musk on the fate of the International Space Station. "We need to squeeze every bit of life that is remaining on the International Space Station," he said, "so we can crack the code on the space economy and better hand off those responsibilities to the commercial industry." **More on Isaacman:** *[Incoming Head of NASA Defies Elon Musk on Order to Abandon Moon Program]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()