18 Dec 2025, 09:00 AM IST i Interest In Aviation Isaacman’s interest in flying stretches back two decades. He began pilot lessons in 2004 and later set a world record for circumnavigating the globe in a light jet. In 2009, he also established a world speed record for flying around the Earth. His aviation pursuits eventually extended into space. In 2021, Isaacman bankrolled and led the first all-civilian mission to orbit Earth, flying aboard a SpaceX capsule that launched from Florida and spent three days in space before splashing down in the Atlantic Ocean. In 2024, he became the first non-professional astronaut to conduct a spacewalk after funding the Polaris Dawn mission, which flew on a SpaceX rocket, reported the BBC. Defence Ventures Beyond payments and spaceflight, Isaacman founded defence firm Draken International in 2011, which trains Air Force pilots and owns the world’s largest fleet of privately owned military aircraft. In 2019, he sold a majority stake in the company to Wall Street firm Blackstone for a nine-figure sum, Forbes reported. Forbes described Isaacman as a “thrill seeker” in a 2020 profile, adding that “for fun” he “bullets the MiG faster than the speed of sound and climbs mountains to unwind from nonstop, intense 80-plus-hour weeks.” Isaacman is married and has two daughters. He lives with his family in New Jersey. ALSO READ