Elon Musk's Jared Isaacman say his NASA push for space data centers will unlock 'orbital economy'

Elon Musk’s ally Jared Isaacman just lit the fuse on something much bigger than a moon landing. Speaking on CNBC, the newly confirmed NASA Administrator said the United States will head back to the moon under President Donald Trump’s second term.

And this time, it’s for what Jared calls the “orbital economy.” “We want to have that opportunity to explore and realize the scientific, economic and national security potential on the moon,” Jared said during the interview.

He pointed directly to Trump’s renewed interest in space, calling it the key to turning the moon into an off-Earth economic hub.

The US Senate had finally confirmed Jared’s appointment last week after a chaotic back-and-forth that dragged all through 2025.

Trump’s NASA pick returns with space business agenda

Trump first picked Jared to run NASA back in December 2024. Then, in May, he suddenly yanked the nomination. No reason was given, but insiders allegedly pointed fingers at Jared’s tight relationship with Elon, since Trump and the latter publicly broke up last summer.

But the beef didn’t last. Trump circled back in November and renominated Jared, who already had the astronaut badge after flying on SpaceX’s Crew Dragon in 2021.

Now he’s not just aiming for the moon.Jared laid out plans for space data centers, nuclear power, and Helium-3 mining.

The rare gas could be a future fuel for fusion reactors and is buried in the moon’s surface. He also wants a permanent base, with nuclear propulsion systems ready to go beyond the moon.

That’s not a fantasy. Jared made it clear that these ideas are already in motion. NASA is working with SpaceX, Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, and Boeing under the Artemis campaign, which focuses on building a long-term presence on the moon and preparing for missions to Mars.

Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act gave this campaign a huge boost by dropping $9.9 billion into NASA’s pocket earlier this year. Artemis II, the first crewed test flight on NASA’s Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft, is scheduled soon. That mission will be followed by Artemis III, with SpaceX providing the lunar landing vehicle.

Jared also said both SpaceX and Blue Origin are making reusable heavy-lift rockets using on-orbit cryogenic propellant transfer. He said, “That’s what’s going to enable us to be able to go to and from the moon affordably, with great frequency, and set up for missions to Mars and beyond.”

Tesla’s Cybertruck problem gets a SpaceX-sized bailout

Back on Earth, Tesla’s numbers are looking ugly. The company is struggling to sell even 20,000 Cybertrucks a year. That’s a far cry from Elon’s original promise of 500,000 units. Warehouses are now overflowing with unsold trucks. Production has already been scaled back.

But here comes SpaceX. The company bought over 1,000 Cybertrucks, and they might double that soon. An X user posted a video showing a storage lot filled with the vehicles. With each truck priced around $80,000, SpaceX’s order could total between $80 million and $160 million in Tesla sales.

Clearly, SpaceX is now turning into the main source of Elon’s wealth, not Tesla, like we’re used to. If things keep going this way, it will almost certainly even push his net worth over $1 trillion by this time next year.

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