NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman credits President Trump for the success of the Artemis II mission, which is set to pass the far side of the Moon, marking a historic milestone for space exploration.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman has stated that the ongoing Artemis II mission would not be possible “if it wasn’t for President Trump.” As the Orion spacecraft prepares to pass beyond the far side of the Moon, Isaacman discussed the mission’s progress and the technological advancements that have contributed to its success during an interview with Fox News Digital.
“I want to be incredibly clear, we would not be at this moment right now with Artemis II if it wasn’t for President Trump,” Isaacman emphasized. “And we certainly would not have an achievable path now to get back to the lunar surface and build that enduring presence.”
Isaacman recalled that on his first day in office during President Trump’s second term, he was presented with a national space policy that mandated frequent lunar missions, the construction of a Moon base, and the exploration of nuclear power and propulsion technologies. This vision aims to enable American astronauts to eventually plant the Stars and Stripes on Mars.
The Artemis II mission successfully launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, last week. This mission is set to send humans farther from Earth than ever before, with the goal of circling the Moon and returning to Earth, landing in San Diego later this week. “In the next 24 hours or so, they’re gonna pass behind the far side of the Moon,” Isaacman explained. “These four astronauts will have traveled farther away from Earth than any humans ever before, about 250,000 miles away.” He noted that the spacecraft is undergoing extensive testing of its various systems, including manual controls.
Isaacman expressed confidence in the spacecraft’s performance, stating it is “performing better than we would have expected” prior to launch. Once the astronauts have completed their pass over the far side of the Moon, they will begin their journey back to Earth. He drew a comparison between Artemis II and the Apollo programs of the 1960s and 1970s, highlighting the significant technological advancements available to NASA today.
“It is not even a close comparison,” Isaacman remarked. “The operator consoles or flight controllers have multiple screens, lots of computing power that’s available to them right now. I mean there is certainly an army here supporting NASA, or an army at NASA that’s supporting this mission, but not the hundreds of thousands of people that you would have had during the Apollo era that had to bubble into that enormous endeavor.”
Isaacman further elaborated on the mission’s objectives, stating, “That’s why when we pick up where Apollo 17 left off with this mission, it is not to return to the Moon to plant the flag and leave the footprints, but to build an enduring presence, to build a Moon base where we will turn the south pole of the Moon into a scientific and technological proving ground for the capabilities we will need to master.” He expressed hope that this groundwork would eventually allow astronauts to travel to Mars and return home with their experiences.
At 43 years old, Isaacman was sworn in as NASA administrator in December 2022. A longtime space enthusiast, he previously commanded the first-ever commercial spacewalk in September 2024. When asked about the personal significance of the Artemis II mission, Isaacman credited the NASA workforce and the team behind him for the agency’s successes.
While acknowledging the contributions of his team, Isaacman also emphasized the importance of looking ahead to the Artemis III mission, scheduled for mid-2027. This mission aims to test docking capabilities in preparation for a return to the lunar surface in 2028. “For everybody else, we got to start working on Artemis III,” he explained. “You go back to the Apollo era, Apollo 10, as those astronauts were orbiting in lunar orbit, just miles above the surface, two months later, Apollo 11 launched where Neil and Buzz walked on the Moon. That means we have to be able to do multiple world-changing missions in near parallel.”
Isaacman’s remarks underscore the ambitious goals of NASA’s Artemis program and the pivotal role that past leadership has played in shaping the future of space exploration, according to Fox News Digital.