{"id":187040,"date":"2025-12-16T05:59:10","date_gmt":"2025-12-16T05:59:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/187040\/"},"modified":"2025-12-16T05:59:10","modified_gmt":"2025-12-16T05:59:10","slug":"its-time-to-act-not-wait-the-new-nasa-chief-warns-of-a-major-risk-on-the-moon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/187040\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cIt\u2019s time to act, not wait\u201d: the new NASA chief warns of a major risk on the Moon"},"content":{"rendered":"

During a Senate hearing this week, Jared Isaacman\u2014billionaire entrepreneur and likely future head of NASA\u2014delivered a clear message: America won\u2019t be beaten to the Moon.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe United States will return to the Moon before our greatest rival,\u201d he declared confidently. \u201cAnd this time, we\u2019ll build a lasting presence there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Isaacman, nominated by former president Donald Trump, appeared before senators for the second time after a rocky confirmation process. His first hearing took place eight months ago, before Trump abruptly withdrew his nomination. Now, after reversing course again in November, the president has put Isaacman back in the spotlight.<\/p>\n

China\u2019s rapid progress raises alarm<\/p>\n

Since his first appearance, Isaacman\u2014known by his call sign \u201cRook\u201d\u2014has stuck to the same promises: to restore American leadership in space, protect scientific research, and deepen cooperation with the private sector to keep NASA<\/a> competitive.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cRook\u201d Isaacman is now extremely well-positioned to take over as head of NASA. \u00a9 NASA<\/p>\n

There\u2019s been a subtle but important shift, though. While Mars dominated the conversation during his first hearing, the focus this time was squarely on the Moon. And with good reason.<\/p>\n

Experts are increasingly anxious that China\u2019s fast-moving lunar program could outpace the U.S. and put Chinese astronauts on the surface first. As China racks up successful tests, NASA\u2019s Artemis III mission\u2014reliant on SpaceX\u2019s Starship system\u2014faces technical and scheduling hurdles. The pressure is on.<\/p>\n

The risk of falling behind<\/p>\n

Before the Senate, Isaacman\u2019s tone was urgent\u2014even combative. \u201cThis is not the time to wait, but to act,\u201d he said. \u201cBecause if we fall behind, if we make a mistake, we may never catch up. The consequences would be a profound shift in the balance of power here on Earth.\u201d<\/p>\n

His warning was clear: if China lands on the Moon first, the U.S. would lose its claim to space dominance. China\u2019s current timeline targets a 2030 mission, but Isaacman insists NASA will be ready well before then.<\/p>\n

As the new space race heats up, his nomination appears to be gaining traction among senators\u2014more support than he enjoyed during his first confirmation. Many astronauts<\/a> have also voiced their approval.<\/p>\n

A leader aligned with industry<\/p>\n

Isaacman also faced questions about how he plans to execute NASA\u2019s lunar return, especially after acting administrator Sean Duffy suggested that if Starship doesn\u2019t meet expectations, contracts could reopen to competitors\u2014namely Jeff Bezos\u2019s Blue Origin.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The Gateway lunar station would be maintained and supported by Isaacman. \u00a9 Thales Alenia Space<\/p>\n

A longtime ally of Elon Musk<\/a>, Isaacman was quick to clarify: \u201cI have no interest in favoring one over the other. My only goal is to make sure the mission succeeds.\u201d Still, his appointment would likely benefit both tech titans, since his vision emphasizes tighter collaboration between NASA and the private sector.<\/p>\n

That approach echoes his \u201cProject Athena,\u201d a proposal leaked by Politico, which outlined how a more industry-driven NASA could regain its edge and remain globally competitive.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Hugo Ruher<\/p>\n

Science journalist<\/p>\n

Science journalist, I am above all passionate about space, which is what inspired me to pursue this specialty. Drawn to science in general, I also closely follow news related to the environment and technology.<\/p>\n

After earning a degree from Sciences Po Toulouse, I began working in radio, covering general news, international issues, and even local problems. At the same time, I started a career as a science journalist, first focusing on space and later on environmental topics.<\/p>\n

Making complex information simple<\/p>\n

A large part of my work involves reading scientific studies published in various journals, texts that are often complex or downright indigestible! My goal is to extract information from them and make it accessible to a broader, non-expert audience. This ambition is what truly drives me.<\/p>\n

This path has led me to write for teen magazines like Cosinus, highly specialized publications such as Industrie & Technologies, as well as more mainstream outlets like Numerama or Le Monde.<\/p>\n

In addition to that, I also sometimes write about topics that are a bit more \u201clightweight.\u201d The digital world, ranging from the use of social media to AI, and even the culture around video games\u2014are areas that I find fascinating and worth covering with a serious approach.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"During a Senate hearing this week, Jared Isaacman\u2014billionaire entrepreneur and likely future head of NASA\u2014delivered a clear message:…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":187041,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[85,46,141,145],"class_list":{"0":"post-187040","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-space","8":"tag-il","9":"tag-israel","10":"tag-science","11":"tag-space"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/187040","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=187040"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/187040\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/187041"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=187040"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=187040"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=187040"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}