Unlike the abrupt changes of the last few presidencies, the new Administration maintains the creation of the Space Force and the Moon as the next goal

test that the new space degree program is serious is that, for the first time in many years, the United States maintains a fixed course in its journey to the stars. George W. Bush proposed to return to the Moon; Barack Obama, on the other hand, spoke of first betting on an asteroid and then put Mars first; Donald Trump was more specific than his predecessors: he launched the Space Force and set up a program, 'Artemis', which should take manned missions to the Moon and at the same time serve as a bridgehead for a future destination to Mars. Joe Biden has not made any changes, but intends to continue in the direction indicated by what already seems to be an American consensus.

article / Pablo Sanz

10 June 2021 / The new space age is marked by the interest of the private business in the economic exploitation of space - the satellite industry, space tourism and the prospect of a lucrative mining business - and by the involvement of the great powers both in a hypothetical war scenario and in new exploration horizons.
At a time of budgetary difficulties, Obama did not prioritize NASA, but left in the hands of private companies the technological development to access close orbits and also put them the lure of the appropriation of space resources. That privatization continued with Trump, but the characteristic of his presidency, in a reborn global geopolitical confrontation, was to again dip into public funds. He launched the Space Force (USSF) as a new branch of the U.S. Armed Forces, and established a new purpose for NASA: the manned return to the Moon, with the creation of a station in lunar orbit to serve as a stopover to then set foot on Mars. Biden maintains the direction taken.

U.S. Space Force 

Since his arrival at the White House, Trump has insisted on the idea of building a Space Force that would have the same rank as the five branches of the Armed Forces already in existence. Instituted first as a germ within the Air Force, the US Space Force would eventually have budget, facilities, troops (under the name of Guardians) and commands of its own. Its goal was to confront the alleged threats from Russia, China, North Korea and Iran in space. The directive for the creation of this military corps was signed by President Trump in February 2019; its constitution took place at the end of that year.

With the change of Administration and in view of the doubts that the Pentagon itself had raised, due to questions of expense, about an initiative that many interpreted as a whim of Trump, some media pointed to a backtracking on the part of Biden. However, the new White House spokeswoman, Jen Psaki, announced in February of this year that the creation of this military branch had the President's full support. Psaki commented that the new Administration had no intention of modifying or reducing the structure of the Space Force and endorsed its progressive implementation: issue is expected to grow from 2,400 to 6,400 members by the end of this year.

The Space Force recently announced its intention to establish a Space Systems Command (SSC) in Los Angeles, whose goal will oversee the development of next-generation technologies and the acquisition of satellites and launch services. The SSC will assume responsibilities currently performed by the Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) and will oversee a staff of 10,000. The SSC will be one of three Space Force field commands and will be led by three-star generals who will report to the chief of space operations, John Raymond. Raymond advocates that the organizational structure of the SSC is specifically designed to anticipate and respond to the challenges presented by a contested space domain.

Relief at NASA 

With the inauguration of Joe Biden, there was also a change at the head of the American space agency. The NASA administrator appointed by Trump, Jim Bridenstine, resigned from his position to facilitate the changes deemed appropriate by the new president. Biden appointed former Democratic Senator Bill Nelson, a close ally of his, to the post. Although the new Administration has yet to make its mark, it is keeping the manned return program to the Moon - for the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972 - in its sights, continuing with the Artemis program. In recent months, NASA has been able to celebrate the successful arrival of Perseverance on Mars, which is part of several unmanned exploration missions underway.

For the time being, Biden has order to congress a discretionary expense for NASA of $24.7 billion for the U.S. fiscal year 2022. As announced by the agency itself, from agreement with the tone of the new Administration, this funding will allow: 

-Keep NASA on track to land the first woman and first black man on the Moon under the Artemis program. 

-To better understand the functioning of planet Earth. 

-Encourage robotic exploration of both the solar system and the universe. 

-Investing in aviation. 

-To inspire students to become the next generation of scientists. 

Fight on the Moon

With the Artemis program and in partnership with space agencies of Western countries and commercial companies, NASA aims to establish a sustainable presence on the Moon, and to establish a space base in its orbit, starting with a first manned flight estimated for 2024. This should help private companies explore the feasibility of a lunar Economics and serve as a stepping stone for a human spaceflight to Mars starting in 2033. The framework of this initiative integrates ongoing spacecraft programs such as Orion, Lunar Gateway Orbital Platform and Commercial Lunar Payload Services. 

Through this multilateral mission, the United States will work with domestic industry and its international partners, following the principles of the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, which is intended to facilitate exploration, science and commercial activities by preventing nations from claiming sovereignty over outer space. 

Although the new national security strategy has not yet been published, it is very likely that it will include some reference letter to space, since the great powers are also transferring the geopolitical tension that confronts them off the planet. Recently, China and Russia have announced their intention to build a lunar base; although they have invited the international community to join the effort, the initiative is still seen as an alternative to the one promoted by the US and its allies.