--- title: "Trump’s New NASA Head Announces Plans to Send Troops to Space" description: "President-elect Donald Trump's pick for NASA administrator billionaire SpaceX tourist Jared Isaacman wants to send troops into space." date: "2024-12-13" modified: "2024-12-13" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/trump-nasa-head-troops-space" categories: - "NASA" - "Space" tags: - "jared isaacman" - "moon" - "NASA" - "space force" - "the digest" --- # Trump’s New NASA Head Announces Plans to Send Troops to Space ![President-elect Donald Trump's pick for NASA administrator billionaire SpaceX tourist Jared Isaacman wants to send troops into space.]() *\Image: Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post via Getty Images\* ## Space Soldiers President-elect Donald Trump's pick for NASA administrator billionaire SpaceX tourist Jared Isaacman wants to send soldiers into space. During the Space Force Association’s Spacepower 2024 conference in Orlando, Florida, Isaacman argued that troops in space are "absolutely inevitable." "If Americans are in low Earth orbit, there’s going to need to be people watching out for them," he said, as [quoted by the *Independent*](). "This is the trajectory that humankind is going to follow," he added. "America is going to lead it and we’re going to need guardians there on the high ground looking out for us." ## Star Wars Kid Isaacman's comments are eyebrow-raising for a number of reasons. Do US astronauts really need armed bodyguards in space? What exactly will these space troops do once they reach space? Will these troops be Space Force "[Guardians]()" — who aren't trained to be astronauts — or will the Pentagon send troops from a different military branch? Besides, where will they stay? With the [retirement of the International Space Station in 2030](), the Pentagon will also have a hard time coming by accommodations for armed forces in orbit. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Isaacman had few details to share regarding his plans to send troops into space, let alone how much such an initiative would cost. He did hint at the possibility of sending soldiers into space around the time NASA hopes to [settle on the surface of the Moon](), according to the *Independent*. Isaacman also said he's hoping to turn outer space into an economic opportunity. "Space holds unparalleled potential for breakthroughs in manufacturing, biotechnology, mining, and perhaps even pathways to new sources of energy," he told audiences during the conference. "There will inevitably be a thriving space economy — one that will create opportunities for countless people to live and work in space." The tech entrepreneur has been to space twice over the last three years, both times on board SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft. But given his new desk job in Washington, DC, Isaacman may have to give up on future opportunities to visit space as part of the Polaris program he organized. "The future of the Polaris program is a little bit of a question mark at the moment," Isaacman admitted at the event, as [quoted by *Reuters*](). "It may wind up on hold for a little bit." **More on Isaacman:** *[The New Head of NASA Had an Interesting Disagreement with the Space Agency]()* ## 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]()