The United States will return to the Moon during President Donald Trump’s second term, according to newly appointed NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, who said renewed lunar missions are central to building a future space-based economy.
Speaking on Closing Bell Overtime, Isaacman said the space agency’s plans align closely with the administration’s priorities, describing lunar exploration as key to unlocking what he termed the “orbital economy.” He stressed that sustained political backing was essential for expanding commercial and scientific activity beyond Earth.
Isaacman’s remarks came shortly after his confirmation by the US Senate, concluding a nomination process that began in December 2024. Although his initial nomination faced delays over concerns linked to his association with Elon Musk, he was re-nominated last month and subsequently approved.
Outlining long-term ambitions, Isaacman said the Moon offers major opportunities, including the development of space-based data centres, permanent infrastructure and the extraction of Helium-3, a rare lunar resource seen as a potential fuel for future fusion energy. He also spoke of plans to establish a lunar base and to invest in nuclear power and space nuclear propulsion to accelerate deep-space exploration.
NASA, he said, is working closely with commercial partners such as SpaceX, Blue Origin and Boeing under its Artemis programme, which is designed to prepare for eventual human missions to Mars.
The upcoming Artemis II mission is expected to conduct crewed test flights around the Moon, followed by Artemis III, which aims to land astronauts on the lunar surface using a landing system being developed by SpaceX.
Isaacman added that advances in heavy-lift rockets and on-orbit fuel transfer technology would significantly reduce the cost of lunar missions, making them more frequent and laying the groundwork for sustained exploration of Mars and beyond.
