By Joey Roulette and David Shepardson

WASHINGTON, Dec 3 (Reuters) – Billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead NASA and an ally of Elon Musk, will face his second confirmation hearing on Wednesday before a Senate panel that will examine whether his private-sector experience can steer the U.S. back to the moon before China gets there.

Isaacman, an e-commerce mogul who flew to orbit twice on all-private astronaut missions as a customer and collaborator with Musk’s SpaceX, will tell senators that falling behind in the moon race with China “could shift the balance of power here on Earth,” according to prepared remarks reported by Reuters on Tuesday.

“The last time I sat before you, I introduced myself, my qualifications, and the challenges and opp

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