President Donald J. Trump transformed American space policy during his first term. He reestablished the National Space Council to coordinate national space strategy. He issued a series of important Space Policy Directives that defined and clarified the purpose of America’s investment in space. He provided NASA with an audacious mission to return Americans to the moon in a permanent and sustainable manner with commercial and international partners. Space science continued on track. Trump created the United States Space Force to secure the final frontier for the benefit of America’s warfighters and our commercial expansion into cislunar space.
Trump’s space accomplishments garnered bipartisan support and international respect. They were even supported by the Biden White House in a rare case of policy continuity. Still, these bold initiatives have suffered from a lack of attention during the last four years. The Vice President, nominally the space agenda lead, has been notably disengaged. CNN bemoaned that Harris has been “shunted to fruitless parts of the administration portfolio” such as “clearly junior varsity ones like chairing the National Space Council.” The council’s meetings have been infrequent and unproductive, and Harris exits them as quickly as possible. The results of this are sadly predictable. Despite the efforts of some highly qualified appointees and civil servants, NASA’s Artemis lunar program is badly off track and China is poised to beat us to the moon. Science missions, at risk due to budgetary pressures and prioritization are finding no love from the White House. Important decisions regarding agency responsibilities in the management of space traffic have gone unresolved.
All of this can be fixed in a Second Trump Administration with swift appointment of experienced and determined individuals back by an engaged Vice President. An incoming Trump White House would have a talented bullpen of space professionals at hand, many of whom served during Trump’s first term.
The top space priority for a Trump 47 White House must be putting Artemis back on track. Every major component of this program is facing significant challenges. These are excellent systems that will eventually provide America with unrivaled capabilities for a long-term stay at the moon and take us to Mars. However, the current architecture is complex, requiring dozens of launches, multiple vehicles. It has too many dependencies and has been plagued by delays and supply chain issues. Artemis III, originally planned for 2024, is now nominally scheduled to land on the moon in September of 2026, but nobody seriously believes that is possible. While NASA is openly investigating contingencies for alternative, non-landing missions, China’s simpler, two-launch moon landing is on track for 2030. Losing a race we have defined, would be a global humiliation for America, equivalent to the Soviet’s decisive failure in the first Space Race. It is hard to believe any White House or Congress would continue to fund a silver medal moon effort. If elected, President Trump should immediately appoint a NASA Administrator with the sense of urgency required to ensure American boots on the moon during his second term while continuing to expedite the development of revolutionary systems like the SpaceX Starship.
While the role of the Space Force in providing services to bolster the success of our terrestrial warfighters remains critical, it’s higher calling will be in defending American governmental and commercial assets in cis-lunar space. Commercial lunar development will uncover ambiguities of the Outer Space Treaty that demand a clarity of US interpretation and credible enforcement capabilities. Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman recently developed a new mission statement for the Space Force, “Secure our Nation’s interests in, from, and to space.” Saltzman’s future-forward vision must be supported by the White House. Vice President Vance should quickly secure an Executive Director of the National Space Council with the vision to ensure America and our planet benefit from free markets and that free people are free to act in space development.
In the long run, new territories can only be controlled by nations that occupy and develop them. A second Trump space agenda must continue the focus on commercial growth and save the taxpayers money. This mostly requires getting government out of the way of space businesses by reducing the paperwork and delays associated with space launches, orbits and reentries. The Office of Space Commerce, currently in NOAA, should be uplifted to report directly to the Secretary of Commerce. Likewise, the Office of Commercial Space Transportation, should be led by a Presidential Appointee reporting directly to the Secretary of Transportation. This is critical to ensuring the White House is able to redirect these offices when necessary. Their functions must be crystal clear, particular in regard to the challenges of Space Situational Awareness and Space Traffic Management. The FCC must stay in its swim lane of licensing spectrum and regulating communications.
President Trump’s space achievements have earned him the right to see a lunar landing and a boom in America’s commercial space during a second term. Ensuring this will require alacrity. Appointments of experienced, dependable, and energetic individuals must be made quickly and confirmed by the Senate without delay. Congress must also demonstrate strategic thinking in its appropriations. An amazing future in space awaits America and humanity, Donald J. Trump is the President who will lead us there.
Robert Walker is the CEO of MoonWalker Associates. He is a former Member of House and served as Chief Deputy Whip and Chairman of the U.S. House Science, Space, and Technology Committee.
Greg Autry is the coauthor of Red Moon Rising: How America Will Beat China on the Final Frontier. He served on the 2016 Trump NASA Agency Review Team and as White House Liaison at NASA.
