Jared Taylor Isaacman (born February11, 1983) is an American entrepreneur, pilot, philanthropist, and commercial astronaut. He was nominated by President-elect Donald Trump in December 2024 to serve as the next administrator of NASA.[5] He is the founder of Draken International, which provides adversary training to the US, British, and other NATO air forces, and the founder and CEO of Shift4 Payments, a payment processor.[6] Through his leadership in private space exploration, Isaacman has been credited with advancing competition in the space industry and reducing reliance on government programs.[7][8] As of September 2024, his estimated net worth is US$1.9 billion.[9][10]
Isaacman commanded the Polaris Dawn mission, the first private spaceflight in a series of missions named the Polaris Program. During this mission, on September 12, 2024, Isaacman became the first private citizen to perform a spacewalk.[12]
He attended Wilson Elementary School in Westfield, from kindergarten through sixth grade.[14]
The family moved to the Liberty Corner section of Bernards Township, New Jersey, when Isaacman was 12, where he attended William Annin Middle School. After setting up a company that offered computer services with a friend while attending Ridge High School, he was offered a full-time job as a technician and dropped out of school at the start of his junior year in September 1999, earning a Graduation Equivalency Degree.[15]
In 1999, Isaacman founded a retail payment processing company named United Bank Card, which was later renamed Harbortouch, a point-of-sale payment company based in Pennsylvania. He was the founding CEO, and retained that role in 2015 with the company having "been profitable for over a decade [while processing] US$11 billion a year from 60,000 merchants, generating US$300 million in revenues."[18] By 2020, the company had been renamed Shift4 Payments, Isaacman remained CEO, and the company was processing US$200 billion in payments annually.[6]
He is flight-qualified in multiple military jet aircraft.[6] Isaacman has performed in airshows with his Black Diamond Jet Team that he co-founded in 2010.[19][20]
In 2008, he made a first attempt to set a new world record for circumnavigating the globe in a light jet, falling short by traveling around the world in 83 hours, just beyond the existing record of 82 hours. The record attempt was a fundraising event for Make-A-Wish Foundation.[21]
In April 2009, on his second attempt, he set a world record for circumnavigating the globe in a light jet, making the flight in 61:51:15, about 20 hours faster than the previous record of 82 hours. The world record attempt was made as a fundraising event for Make-A-Wish Foundation of New Jersey.[18][22] He flew a Cessna Citation CJ2 with two other crew members, skipping stops in India and Japan, where he encountered hours-long ground delays in his previous attempt in 2008.[21]
Isaacman received the call sign "Rook" during flight training.[25]
In August 2021, the crew of Inspiration4, including Isaacman, was featured on the cover of a Time magazine double issue.[26]
On September 15, 2021 (UTC), Inspiration4 launched and achieved orbit. The mission splashed down 3 days later.[27][28]
During the Inspiration4 mission, Isaacman made the first-known sports bet from space, placing two bets on NFL football with the BetMGM Sportsbook, while over Las Vegas.[29]
In September 2024, Isaacman commanded the Polaris Dawn mission, which is part of a crewed spaceflight program called the Polaris program.[26] The crew consisted of Isaacman, Kidd (Scott) Poteet, Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon. who rose to a record-breaking apogee of 1,400 km (870 mi) and later lower to a 700 km (430 mi) apogee. The crew completed a multi-hour EVA on September 12, 2024, with all crew exposed to the vacuum of space, although Isaacman and Sarah Gillis were the only two that exited the spacecraft.[30] Over the five-day flight, the crew performed about 40 different science experiments and provided more insight into life in space.[31] The crew also completed the first crewed demonstration of Starlink laser communication in space.[29]
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