Isaacman said this means NASA must make better decisions on when and how to work with international partners. Other nations have a place in NASA’s programs, but only if they can meaningfully contribute to the mission, he said.

“I will tell you, though, and this is right from the top from the president of the United States: We’re only doing good deals, and we haven’t always done good deals,” Isaacman said. “There was absolutely a time where we were trying [to] make everyone happy. Let’s get a lot of flags together for a great press release, and it can [be], and absolutely has been, at times, a drag on the mission instead of accelerating it. You can’t do that, and we’ve changed that now, and as a result, good deals are happening.”

What’s a good deal?

Isaacman singled out as a good deal NASA’s agreement with the Italian government in March for the development of living quarters for astronauts on the Moon.

“They’re committing over $5 billion to building one of the first habitation modules,” Isaacman said. “It likely will be the first real habitation module that makes its way to the lunar surface. And as a result, you’re going to see two Italian astronauts on the surface of the Moon.”

Japan, too, is coming in clutch for NASA, Isaacman said, with a multibillion-dollar commitment to develop a pressurized rover to ferry astronauts across the Moon. In exchange, Japan will likewise get two tickets to the Moon for the country’s astronauts. The US and Japanese governments signed the agreement on the pressurized rover in 2024.

“That is the expectation we set for everyone,” Isaacman said. “You’re not just going to bring us a list and say, ‘I will do this regardless if it helps the mission or competes with US industry and what US industry is trying to accomplish on the Moon.’ That is not going to work. We need meaningful contributions now. The game has changed.”