The United States has a long history of achievement in space exploration, with milestones ranging from the 1969 Moon landing to the establishment of the International Space Station (ISS). The ISS was launched on November 20, 1998. This was the first year of President Bill Clinton’s second term. The first ISS module, Zarya (“Sunrise”), was launched by a Russian Proton rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. This marked the beginning of assembling the ISS in low Earth orbit.
The United States has been a significant player in the ISS program since its inception. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has been responsible for several critical components and contributions:
- NASA has developed and launched multiple ISS modules and components, including the Destiny laboratory module, the Unity node, and the Quest airlock.
- NASA astronauts have been part of every expedition to the ISS since the first long-term residents, Expedition 1, arrived in November 2000. They conduct scientific research, maintain the station, and perform spacewalks.
- NASA provides essential logistics support, including cargo resupply missions using spacecraft like SpaceX’s Dragon and Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus.
- NASA works closely with international partners, including Roscosmos (Russia), ESA (Europe), JAXA (Japan), and CSA (Canada), to ensure the smooth operation and continued success of the ISS.
The ISS is a triumph of international cooperation and scientific achievement, with contributions from multiple countries and space agencies.
The Extraterrestrial Communication Group (ECG) website generally does not report on political subjects. We have written about many topics and people of science, which can be found on our Hall of Fame Library page. Our focus rarely involves politics. Space policy, however, has become an increasingly essential issue in US politics in recent years.
As you might expect, President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden have different approaches and priorities regarding space exploration and program development.
One of the most significant differences between Trump and Biden regarding space policy is their overall vision for the future of space exploration. Trump has been a strong advocate for the revitalization of the US space program, focusing on human space exploration and the return of American astronauts to the Moon.
The United States Space Force (USSF), the newest US Armed Forces branch, was established on December 20, 2019. It was completed by signing the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020. Trump’s final year of his first term as President. The creation of the Space Force marks a significant milestone in the history of the United States military. It represents a recognition of the growing importance of space as a domain for military operations. The US Space Force website is now on the ECG Space News and Links web page.
The primary mission of the Space Force is to organize, train, and equip space forces to protect US and allied interests in space. This includes providing space-based capabilities such as satellite communications, navigation, and surveillance and defending US assets in space from emerging threats such as anti-satellite weapons and cyber-attacks. The Space Force also supports joint military operations on Earth by providing space-based intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities.
One of the fundamental challenges facing the Space Force is the need to develop new technologies and capabilities to maintain US military superiority in space. This includes investments in advanced satellite systems, space-based sensors, and defensive systems to protect US assets in orbit. The Space Force is also tasked with developing a group of highly skilled space professionals who can operate complex space systems and respond to emerging threats in the space domain.
The Space Force has established several primary goals and objectives to meet these challenges. These include:
- Building a resilient and agile space architecture that can withstand attacks and disruptions.
- Strengthening partnerships with other US government agencies, allies, and commercial partners to enhance space operations.
- Developing a culture of innovation and collaboration to foster the development of new technologies and capabilities.
- Recruiting, training, and retaining a diverse and highly skilled workforce of space professionals.
The Space Force has established several organizational components to achieve these goals, including headquarters staff, field commands, and space operations centers. These organizations work together to plan, coordinate, and execute space operations supporting US national security objectives.
The Space Force also works closely with other US military services, such as the Air Force and the Army, to integrate space capabilities into joint military operations. This includes providing space-based support to troops on the ground and coordinating with other military services to ensure the seamless integration of space capabilities into the overall military strategy.
In addition to its military mission, the Space Force also plays a key role in supporting civil and commercial space activities.
This includes providing space situational awareness (SSA) services to track objects in orbit and prevent collisions and helping NASA and other government agencies in their space exploration efforts.
Creating the Space Force recognizes space’s vital role in modern military operations. By developing new technologies, capabilities, and partnerships, the Space Force is positioning the US to achieve and maintain military dominance in space and protect its interests in the final frontier.
Trump’s vision for space exploration is squarely focused on expanding American leadership in space and promoting American interests beyond Earth. This is consistent with his “America First” agenda. His administration has also pushed to create the Artemis program.
The Artemis program is a Moon exploration program led by NASA, formally established in 2017 via Space Policy Directive-1. This was Trump’s first year as President. It is intended to reestablish a human presence on the Moon for the first time since the Apollo 17 mission in1972. The program’s long-term goal is to establish a permanent base on the Moon to facilitate human missions to Mars.
In contrast, Biden’s approach to space policy is more focused on international cooperation and the peaceful use of outer space. Biden has supported continued US participation in the International Space Station and collaboration with global partners on scientific research and space exploration. He has also emphasized monitoring climate change and environmental issues through space technology. Biden’s vision for space exploration is more aligned with global cooperation and promoting scientific research and environmental protection.
Another key difference between Trump and Biden on space policy is their approach to commercial space activities. Under the Trump administration, there has been a significant push to promote the commercialization of space, with initiatives such as the Commercial Crew Program.
The Commercial Crew Program (CCP) provides commercially operated crew transportation services to and from the International Space Station (ISS) under contract to NASA, conducting crew rotations between the expeditions of the International Space Station program. American space manufacturer SpaceX began providing this service in 2020, using the
Crew Dragon spacecraft, and NASA plans to add Boeing when its Boeing Starliner spacecraft becomes operational no earlier than 2025.
NASA has contracted six operational missions from Boeing and fourteen from SpaceX, ensuring sufficient support for the ISS through 2030.
Trump has also supported private companies such as SpaceX in their efforts to develop commercial space travel and space tourism. Trump’s approach to space policy is focused on leveraging the private sector’s capabilities to drive innovation and reduce costs in space exploration.
On the other hand, Biden has taken a more cautious approach to commercial space activities, advocating for stronger government regulation and oversight of private space companies. Biden has expressed concerns about the potential for commercial space activities to create environmental risks and security threats and has called for greater transparency and accountability in the commercial space sector. Biden’s approach to space policy is more focused on balancing the benefits of commercial space activities with the need to protect the environment.
Trump and Biden also have different approaches to space policy regarding funding and budget priorities. Under the Trump administration, there has been a significant increase in space exploration and development funding, focusing on the Artemis program and the Space Force. Trump has prioritized space exploration as a national security and economic priority and has allocated significant resources to advance American capabilities in space.
In contrast, Biden has focused on scientific research and environmental monitoring. Biden has emphasized the importance of investing in education and workforce development to ensure a future strong and diverse space industry. Biden’s approach to space policy is more focused on using space technology to benefit a global society and promote a sustainable and equitable space program.
Ultimately, the future of US space policy will depend on the choices made by Trump’s second administration. The direction of the US space program will obviously have important implications for the country’s leadership in space exploration and development moving into the future.
Enormous government investment supports outer space activities, and the US president obviously has a critical role in shaping space policy during their time in office.
In 2023, government space budgets reached a record-breaking $117 billion, marking a growth of over 15% compared to the previous year. With an estimated value of almost $59 billion, defense expenditure has surpassed investments in civil programs, which is a historic first for the sector.
Past presidents have leveraged this power to accelerate US leadership in space and boost their presidential brand. Presidential advocacy has helped the US land astronauts on the surface of the Moon, established lasting international partnerships with civil space agencies abroad, and led to many other essential space milestones.
But the 2024 election was different. Both candidates have executive records in space policy, a rare measuring stick for space enthusiasts who cast their votes back in November.
A closer look shows that former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris have used their positions to consistently prioritize US leadership in space. Still, they have done so with noticeably different styles and results.
As President, Trump established a record of meaningful and lasting space policy decisions but did so while attracting more attention to his administration’s activities than his predecessors.
President Trump oversaw the establishment of the US Space Force and reestablishing the US Space Command and the National Space Council. He has called his advocacy for creating the Space Force one of his proudest achievements of his term.
These organizations support the development and operation of military space technologies, defend national security satellites in future conflicts, and coordinate between federal agencies in the space domain. President Trump has the most productive record of space policy directives in recent history. These directives clarify the US government’s role in space, including how it should support and rely on the commercial space sector, track objects in Earth’s orbit, and protect satellites from cyber threats.
In President Trump’s second term, we should expect that Trump will accelerate NASA’s Moon plans by furthering investment in the agency’s Artemis program. How he does that is the question.
The Biden administration has continued to support Trump’s first-term initiatives, resisting the partisan temptation to undo or cancel Trump’s past proposals. That also tells us something. Biden’s legacy in space is noticeably smaller than Trump’s.
Vice President Harris has set US space policy priorities as chair of the National Space Council and represented the United States on the global stage. In this role, Harris led the United States’ commitment to refrain from testing weapons in space that produce dangerous, long-lasting space debris. This decision marks an achievement for the US in keeping space operations sustainable and setting an example for others in the international space community.
Like some Trump administration space policy priorities, not all of Harris’ proposals found support in Washington. For example, the council’s plan to establish a framework for comprehensively regulating commercial space activities in the US stalled in Congress.
As Vice President, J.D. Vance will assume the chairmanship of the National Space Council, assuming Trump decides to keep it. Unlike Trump’s first-term vice president, Mike Pence, was a noted space supporter with a personal passion for the subject. Vance shows no obvious enthusiasm for space matters.
Space has increased in political prominence over the past decade as a national security imperative and a strategic domestic industry. We can expect space to remain high-status in the second Trump term, regardless of J.D. Vance’s unenthusiastic position. We can look to his first term and the statements made during the campaign as evidence.
NASA, however, will not be the exclusive beneficiary of this. Given the anticipated reduction to the civil service workforce, budget cuts, and contracting the effort of sending humans to Mars to SpaceX, NASA’s funding is more likely to be reallocated.
Trump’s engagement with Elon Musk as the guy to identify unnecessary government spending is a risky move regarding the management of space budgets. It opens the door wide for conflict-of-interest issues.
Musk’s SpaceX and Starlink programs would most certainly benefit from diverting NASA budgets to the private sector. They already do, but that benefit may significantly increase.
In the modern era, the terms “Space” and “NASA” are no longer exclusive to each other. The rapid maturation of the commercial space sector and SpaceX’s unprecedented innovation have ended NASA’s monopoly on space exploration. The trend toward contracting commercial services is expected to grow, and private sector space organizations will be given more incentives to prove themselves space-worthy.
To put the dollars in perspective, here are some 2025 budget numbers to consider:
NASA’s 2025 budget is 25.4 billion dollars, which is approximately 0.42% of the national budget. This is a 15% increase over 2024. The Space Force portion of the 2025 Defense budget is 29.4 billion dollars, which is approximately 0.49% of the national budget. This is a 2% increase over 2024. The 54.8 billion combined budget is less than 1% of the total national budget of approximately 6.1 trillion dollars. Small percentages but still quite a bit of money.
Policy changes will likely shape NASA’s future under the Trump administration. These changes will likely reduce NASA’s ability to directly pursue its space exploration goals. NASA will likely be transformed and made leaner. It could become a pass-through funding source for the private sector space industry rather than one of direct engagement.
Whether NASA should become a budget pass-through agency for the private space industry is a complex and multifaceted issue that requires careful consideration of the benefits and drawbacks for both NASA and the private space sector. There are valid arguments on both sides of the debate.
The decision should be guided by the overarching goal of advancing space exploration and research for the benefit of humanity. The priority, however, in my opinion, should not lose focus on the need for national defense from our enemies here on Earth and perhaps enemies not of this Earth out there in the universe. It is the world we have always lived in except for now we are doing it outside the atmosphere in the “Final Frontier”.
Sources:
- Astronomy. Opinion: An international affairs expert breaks down Harris and Trump’s records on space policy. Thomas G. Roberts, The Conversation November 1, 2024.
- United States Space Force, “About Us,” www.spaceforce.mil
- United States Department of Defense, “Space Policy,” www.defense.gov
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), “Exploration and Discovery,” www.nasa.gov
- NOVASPACE. December 19, 2023. A new historic high for government space spending is driven mainly by defense expenditures.
- Casey Dreier. November 14, 2024. The Planetary Society. What to watch for in a second Trump Administration. Suitable for space, bad for NASA?