Meet Jared Isaacman: Trump’s pick to head Nasa founded his first unicorn start-up at just 16, was the first civilian to perform a spacewalk and is tight with Elon Musk … but he’s staying apolitical

US president-elect Donald Trump has been busy making his cabinet picks, from Homeland Security secretary to attorney general. Now, he’s tapped fighter jet pilot and billionaire Jared Isaacman to lead US space agency Nasa during what The Guardian has described as “a pivotal moment in its 76-year history”.

Isaacman is an experienced pilot with his own display team and has an estimated net worth of US$1.7 billion. “I was born after the moon landings, my children were born after the final space shuttle launch. With the support of President Trump, I can promise you this: We will never again lose our ability to journey to the stars and will never settle for second place,” Isaacman wrote on X (formerly Twitter) after news of his appointment broke.

At 41 years old, Isaacman has led – and funded – two commercial SpaceX missions, sparking some concern over his relationship with Elon Musk. As the leader of the first flight of an all-private crew of astronauts, and the first civilian to walk in space, Isaacman is making a habit of making history. From his relationship to Musk to how he made his billions, here’s what we know about Jared Isaacman.

The New York Times describes Isaacman is a “close associate” of Musk. According to CNN, the friendship between the two is important to Issacman’s new role because of Nasa’s increasing reliance on the commercial sector – especially SpaceX.

Isaacman’s partnership with SpaceX also includes Polaris, a development programme that aims to help take “human exploration to the moon, Mars and beyond”. The decision to put Isaacman in the top role at Nasa has raised ethical questions about his friendship with Musk and the objectives of the agency. However, many close to the industry have reacted positively to the news.