Washington DC - President Donald Trump's pick to lead NASA, billionaire Jared Isaacman, told a Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday that he wants to beat China in a new moon race.

Isaacman is a billionaire entrepreneur and private astronaut known to be a close associate of Elon Musk. The hearing was his second after Trump renominated him in November for the top post.

If confirmed for the job, Isaacman told senators, he would ensure the success of the Artemis lunar exploration program, which started in 2017 during the first Trump administration.

"America will return to the Moon before our great rival, and we will establish an enduring presence to understand and realize the scientific, economic and national security value on the lunar surface," Isaacman said.

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His nomination to head NASA was first announced after Trump won the 2024 election, then withdrawn in April 2025. Trump renominated him in November amid rumors that he has reconciled with Musk.

"I have to say for a moment, [this] feels a bit like Groundhog Day," Republican Senator Ted Cruz, chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, said as he opened the hearing.

During his first confirmation hearing in April, Isaacman stated that he wanted to prioritize sending astronauts to Mars. On Wednesday, however, he spoke more cautiously about Mars and instead emphasized the goal of returning a crewed US mission to the Moon as soon as possible.

The Artemis program hit snags in recent years, as it has become increasingly clear that Musk's SpaceX lunar lander won't be ready in time.

"I think it's imperative that we do so, and failing to do so calls into question American exceptionalism beyond just our expertise in the high ground of space," Isaacman said of a potential moon mission.