Big Bang: Trump and Musk could redefine US space strategy

Should NASA return to the Moon or go straight to Mars? Maintain its focus on climate science or change course?

President-elect Donald Trump’s second term could mark a big bang for the U.S. space program, alongside SpaceX CEO and new consigliere Elon Musk.

The brash billionaire duo share a knack for destruction and a thirst for making history, qualities that are tailor-made for space exploration.

In short, “It’s going to be a tough road,” said George Nield, president of Commercial Space Technologies, a private space industry consulting group. “People are buckling up and hoping for the best.”

Trump’s interest in space is nothing new.

In his first term, he famously created the Space Force and reinstated the National Space Council, chaired by the vice president.

Most notably, he launched the Artemis program, which aims to land Americans on the moon later this year as a stepping stone to Mars. Still, he was skeptical about the need for the moon.

“I want to reach Mars before my term ends,” Musk declared during his 2024 campaign, an ambitious goal that he has long held.

“There’s a good chance that the Artemis program will at least be reconsidered, whether that means accelerating the program or moving beyond the moon and focusing on Mars,” former F.A.A. Senior official Nield said.

Such changes would be significant for a program expected to cost more than $90 billion.

The Artemis 2 crew is scheduled to fly to the moon in September 2025, the first time since Apollo.

China’s plans could weaken all axes.

Beijing has set its sights on the same goal as Artemis, the moon’s south pole, and President Trump is unlikely to quietly allow China to plant its flag there.

Self-dealing?

Then there’s the question of which rockets will power these missions.

NASA’s newly certified Space Launch System (SLS) has come under heavy criticism, particularly from Mr. Musk, for being prohibitively expensive due to its lack of reusability. In contrast, SpaceX’s Starship prototype is designed to be completely reusable and has the potential to revolutionize spaceflight.

President Trump lavished praise on Starship in his election victory speech, highlighting SpaceX’s feat of grabbing the rocket’s booster stage with its launch tower’s giant “chopstick” arms. Will Starship replace SLS? Many in the space field think it should.

But Mr. Musk’s growing influence raises concerns.

The man, who has poured tens of millions of dollars into Trump’s campaign, will chair a group tasked with reducing bureaucracy and improving “government efficiency,” including the agency that oversees SpaceX. It has become.

Critics fear that Mr. Musk will use his role to tamper with environmental regulations, a long-standing hurdle for the company’s Starship launches, and to sway NASA and Pentagon contract awards. There is.

SpaceX already has lucrative contracts to transport astronauts to the ISS, launch defense satellites and provide internet through its Starlink constellation network.

Trump said Musk’s job was to “provide advice and guidance from outside the government,” a phrase Kathleen Clark, a law professor at Washington University in St. Louis, finds troubling.

He suggested that his choice of words was intended to blur the lines between inside and outside government and “avoid the application of conflict of interest rules.”

New Administrator of NASA

Mr. Musk’s committee also could recommend slimming down NASA’s sprawling network of 10 centers across the country, a long-standing system often blocked by senators eager to protect local jobs. This is the concept.

“It’s probably a good idea,” Nield said, but it could spark fierce resistance.

And given that space has long been politically neutral, Elon Musk’s involvement could spark a backlash from Democrats.

Outgoing President Joe Biden has made climate change a priority for NASA like never before.

During President Trump’s first term, NASA cut programs such as the Carbon Monitoring System (CMS) and the Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, and Ocean Ecosystem (PACE) satellite (both of which were later reinstated), and the strategy document I downplayed it.

Clues about Trump’s direction will be revealed by his choice for NASA administrator. His first choice, Jim Bridenstine, was a supporter of Congress.

© 2024 AFP