Chance of alien life ‘goes to heart’ of space missions, Nasa chief says

The Nasa administrator, Jared Isaacman, speaks to reporters after the Artemis II moon rocket launched at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on 1 April. Photograph: Terry Renna/AP

The top official at Nasa says that the chance of alien existence is a factor in how the US space agency plans its missions.

Speaking on Sunday, the Nasa administrator, Jared Isaacman, told CNN’s Meet the Press that investigating the existence of alien life “goes to the heart of many things that we do at Nasa”, adding: “Our job here is to go out and try and unlock the secrets of the universe.”