The eagerness to revisit the moon is palpable in the words of NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, who shares a vision that harks back to the pioneering spirit of the 1960s. Speaking to the Daily Mail during an interview at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Isaacman expressed a deep commitment to reigniting America’s lunar ambitions. “We owe it to all the pioneers of the 1960s, to the astronauts, to ensure their efforts were just the beginning, not the end, of an incredible journey,” he said. Drawing from his own experiences as an entrepreneur and pilot, Isaacman has flown on two SpaceX missions, including the groundbreaking all-civilian mission in 2021. He firmly rebuffs the conspiracy theories surrounding the moon landing, stating, “I have access to all the materials, the boots worn on the moon, and have spoken to the astronauts—the heroes who actually did it. There’s no question.”

The persistence of moon landing conspiracy theories has long frustrated those involved in the Apollo missions. A notable incident occurred in 2002 when astronaut Buzz Aldrin famously struck conspiracy theorist Bart Sibrel, who accused him of faking the moon landing. Isaacman suggests that America’s hesitation to advance beyond the initial moon missions contributes to public skepticism. “I don’t blame people,” he remarked. “It’s been over half a century. Why is it so hard to return? Well, we owe them that outcome.”

Reflecting on the 1960s, Isaacman underscored the monumental achievement of the moon landing, describing it as “near impossible.” Yet, he recalls it as a unifying moment for the nation during the space race with Russia. “This is what America does best when faced with a formidable competitor,” he stated. During President Donald Trump’s administration, there was a renewed push to transcend the Apollo missions with the Artemis program, aiming to have humans return to the moon by 2028. “Don’t just go back to plant the flag and collect rocks,” Isaacman outlined, emphasizing the mission to establish a lunar base and pursue ambitious endeavors in space. The upcoming Artemis II mission, slated for launch in April, plans to take four astronauts further into space than ever before on a ten-day journey around the moon and back to Earth.

‘It’s going to be the most demanding, most important human space flight mission in a half century,’ he said. Isaacman said there was ‘no question’ that the United States was in a new space race with China. China, he said, had a ‘very robust’ space program that should not be underestimated. ‘They don’t have what I would describe even, you know, a lot of the baggage right now,’ he said. ‘They are starting their program from scratch, and they’re resourcing it. They have the expertise and the will, and they are pursuing those goals.’

He acknowledged there had been setbacks with the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket powering the Artemis program as it was using a lot of heritage equipment that was ‘really old.’ The Artemis II mission has already been delayed for problems with the helium flow issues and hydrogen leaks, but Isaacman said it was no surprise that the equipment would need upgrading since it hadn’t been launched since 2022. In February, Isaacman announced a major overhaul of the Artemis program, including an increase of launch cadence of the SLS. The result, he promised, would be two manned missions to the moon in 2028. ‘The challenges we’ve had up to now should absolutely have been expected. When you consider the history of the program, what matters most is that we’re going to do things differently,’ he said. ‘The status quo is unacceptable.’

NASA’s mission to return to the moon, he said, was the goal of the space program for over 30 years and the cost of the program had surpassed $100 billion. ‘You come up short. That sends a message to the world,’ he said. Isaacman credited President Trump for lighting a fire under NASA’s mission, by passing significant funding for the program and getting everyone in Congress focused on the task at hand. ‘This is a president who appreciates space very much. He’s given us the mandate. He’s given us the funding … you combine that with the appropriations from Congress, we got all the ingredients to go out and change the world in air and space,’ he said.