FASTER? PLEASE! Isaacman emphasizes accelerating NASA programs as he takes agency’s reins.

“We cannot achieve our objectives the way they’ve been done in recent years,” he said, citing the “absolutely impressive speeds” of China’s space activities. “We must do all we can to minimize the bureaucratic drag that can slow us down.”

That effort includes companies and international partners working with NASA, particularly on plans to return humans to the moon. “We will prepare for the inevitable return by working with our commercial and international partners to ensure they’re aligned with our programmatic objectives and acting with the urgency needed” to deliver Artemis elements, he said.

Isaacman highlighted an executive order signed by President Trump on Dec. 18 titled “Ensuring American Space Superiority,” which includes provisions calling for a human return to the lunar surface by 2028 and the establishment of initial elements of a permanent lunar outpost by 2030.

“In my view, it is one of the most significant commitments to America’s space program by any administration since the Kennedy era,” Isaacman said. He attended the signing ceremony in the Oval Office shortly after being sworn in.

The agency needs a good shakeup, and an entrepreneur/astronaut has the skills, experience, and cred to get it done.