White House sets priorities
There is nothing Earth-shattering in the new executive order, as much of it builds on previously announced policies that span multiple administrations. There are some notable points in the document that clearly reflect the White House’s priorities, though, and Isaacman’s leadership of NASA.
They include:
- 2028 lunar landing: Trump commits to returning Americans to the Moon by 2028 through the Artemis Program. Isaacman is to submit a plan within 90 days for achieving this and other policy objectives and mitigating any problems. Presumably, this will include ideas to expedite the development of a Human Landing System and lunar surface spacesuits.
- A lunar outpost: Establish “initial elements of a permanent lunar outpost by 2030 to ensure a sustained American presence in space and enable the next steps in Mars exploration.” The use of “outpost” could mean surface activities or the Lunar Gateway in orbit around the Moon, and it seems deliberately ambiguous.
- Nuclear reactors on the Moon: Seeks to deploy nuclear reactors on the Moon and in orbit, including a lunar surface reactor ready for launch by 2030. With this item, it does seem like the administration is committed to some sort of lunar surface activities in the long term.
- Private launch: “Enhance sustainability and cost-effectiveness of launch and exploration architectures, including enabling commercial launch services and prioritizing lunar exploration.” It’s good to see the administration acknowledge that privately developed rockets are the future.
- End of ISS: “Spurring private sector initiative and a commercial pathway to replace the International Space Station by 2030.” This is a restatement of NASA’s goal to end the space station in 2030 and have one or more commercial stations ready to go as a follow-up. That’s easier said than done.
- A focus on leaner procurement: “Use of existing authorities to improve efficiency and expedite space acquisitions, including a first preference for commercial solutions and a general preference for Other Transactions Authority or Space Act Agreements, customary commercial terms, or any other pathways to promote effective or streamlined acquisitions.” Cost-plus contracts are not mentioned.
- End the National Space Council: “This order supersedes Executive Order 14056 of December 1, 2021 (The National Space Council), which is hereby revoked.” Trump brought back the Space Council during his first term, but perhaps Vice President JD Vance is not interested in this area of policy.
Strikingly, there is no mention of a concrete plan to send humans to Mars in this document. There are just two references to the red planet, both of which talk about sending humans there as a far-off goal. One source recently told Ars that as soon as Trump learned there was no way humans could land on Mars during his second term, he was no longer interested in that initiative.
