The following president of america could possibly be the primary in that workplace to just accept a telephone name from the Moon and listen to a girl’s voice on the road. To take action, they’ll first must make a collection of strategic house coverage selections. They’ll additionally want a bit of luck.
Monumental authorities funding helps outer house actions, so the U.S. president has an outsize position in shaping house coverage throughout their time in workplace.
Previous presidents have leveraged this energy to speed up U.S. management in house and increase their presidential model alongside the way in which. Presidential advocacy has helped the U.S. land astronauts on the floor of the Moon, set up lasting worldwide partnerships with civil house companies overseas and led to many different necessary house milestones.
However most presidential candidates chorus from discussing house coverage on the marketing campaign path in significant element, leaving voters at nighttime on their visions for the ultimate frontier.
For a lot of candidates, moving into the weeds of their house coverage plans could also be extra bother than it’s value. For one, not each president even will get the chance for significant and memorable house coverage decision-making, since house missions can function on decades-long timelines. And in previous elections, those that do present help for house initiatives usually face criticism from their opponents for his or her excessive worth tags.
However the 2024 election is completely different. Each candidates have govt information in house coverage, a uncommon deal with for house lovers casting their votes this November.
As a researcher who research worldwide affairs in outer house, I’m involved in how these information interface with the strategic and sustainable use of that area. A better look reveals that former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris have used their positions to persistently prioritize U.S. management in house, however they’ve executed so with noticeably completely different types and outcomes.
Trump’s house coverage file
As president, Trump established a file of significant and lasting house coverage selections, however did so whereas attracting extra consideration to his administration’s house actions than his predecessors. He frequently took private credit score for concepts and accomplishments that predated his time in workplace.
The previous president oversaw the institution of the U.S. Area Power and the reestablishment of the U.S. Area Command, in addition to the Nationwide Area Council. These organizations help the event and operation of navy house applied sciences, defend nationwide safety satellites in future conflicts and coordinate between federal companies working within the house area.
Whereas president, Donald Trump oversaw the creation of the U.S. Area Power.
AP Photograph/Alex Brandon
He additionally had the most efficient file of house coverage directives in latest historical past. These coverage directives make clear the U.S. authorities’s objectives in house, together with the way it ought to each help and depend on the business house sector, monitor objects in Earth’s orbit and defend satellites from cyber threats.
He has referred to as his advocacy for the creation of the Area Power certainly one of his proudest achievements of his time period. Nevertheless, this advocacy contributed to polarized help for the brand new department. This polarization broke the extra widespread sample of bipartisan public help for house programming.
Like many presidents, not all of Trump’s visions for house have been realized. He efficiently redirected NASA’s key human spaceflight vacation spot from Mars again to the Moon. However his specific purpose of astronauts reaching the lunar floor by 2024 was not practical, given his funds proposal for the company.
Ought to he be elected once more, the previous president could want to speed up NASA’s Moon plans by furthering funding within the company’s Artemis program, which homes its lunar initiatives.
He could body the initiative as a brand new house race towards China.
Harris’ house coverage file
The Biden administration has continued to help Trump-era initiatives, resisting the temptation to undo or cancel previous proposals. Its legacy in house is noticeably smaller.
Because the chair of the Nationwide Area Council, Harris has set U.S. house coverage priorities and represented america on the worldwide stage.
As vice chairman, Harris has chaired the Nationwide Area Council.
NASA/Joel Kowsky, CC BY-NC-ND
Notably, the Trump administration saved this place that the president can alter at will assigned to the vice chairman, a precedent the Biden administration upheld.
On this position, Harris led america’ dedication to chorus from testing weapons in house that produce harmful, long-lasting house particles. This choice marks an achievement for the U.S. in preserving house operations sustainable and setting an instance for others within the worldwide house neighborhood.
Like some Trump administration house coverage priorities, not all of Harris’ proposals discovered footing in Washington.
The council’s plan to determine a framework for comprehensively regulating business house actions within the U.S., for instance, stalled in Congress.
If enacted, these new rules would have ensured that future house actions, corresponding to personal firms working on the Moon or transporting vacationers to orbit and again, cross vital security checks.
Ought to she be elected, Harris could select to proceed her efforts to form accountable norms of conduct in house and manage oversight over the house business.
Alternatively, she might cede the portfolio to her personal vice chairman, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who has just about no monitor file on house coverage points.
Stability in main house coverage selections
Regardless of the 2 candidates’ vastly completely different platforms, voters can count on stability in U.S. house coverage because of this yr’s election.
Given their previous management, it’s unlikely that both candidate will search to dramatically alter the long-term missions the most important authorities house organizations have underway through the upcoming presidential time period. And neither is more likely to undercut their predecessors’ accomplishments.