Jared Isaacman, the newly-confirmed NASA Administrator and a close ally of SpaceX has announced that the US will return astronauts to the lunar surface within President Donald Trump’s second term. Speaking to CNBC on Friday (December 26), Isaacman said that the return to the Moon is a vital step in unlocking a multibillion-dollar “orbital economy.”“We want to have that opportunity to explore and realise the scientific, economic, and national security potential on the moon,” Isaacman said, suggesting a definitive timeline for the Artemis mission, the agency’s flagship lunar program. The effort received a massive financial boost earlier this year via Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which allocated $9.9 billion in fresh funding to NASA.The roadmap for the next four years includes Artemis II mission which will be a crewed test flight aboard the Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion spacecraft. Artemis III will be the historic mission that will land humans on the lunar surface once again. Musk’s SpaceX is currently developing the Human Landing System (HLS).Previously, Isaacman said that the contract will be given to any space company – Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin or Elon Musk’s SpaceX – who meets the necessary requirements first.
Mining the Moon: Helium-3 and nuclear propulsion
Isaacman outlined a vision for a permanent lunar presence. He identified Helium-3 – a rare isotope found in lunar soil – as a potential “holy grail” for clean energy, serving as a primary fuel for future fusion power. Isaacman also revealed that NASA is prioritising investments in:Space data centres to manage orbital communications and lunar logistics; nuclear propulsion that will utilise space nuclear power to reach Mars and beyond more efficiently and refueling infrastructure, which is partnering with SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin to develop on-orbit cryogenic propellant transfer.