The Biden administration remains on the path set by the Trump administration in terms of space, at least for now.
Why it’s important: Administrations often abandon the goals of their predecessors in favor of new ones when they come to power. This type of “moon blow” can leave NASA trapped on Earth because it takes consistency between administrations to achieve large exploration goals.
Driving the news: Earlier this month, the Biden administration stated its plans to continue the Artemis program to land the first woman and the next man on the surface of the Moon.
- The administration also left its weight behind the Space Force, with White House press secretary Jen Psaki saying the new military branch has the “full support of the Biden administration.”
- “I am very proud of the Biden administration for following these important steps,” Jim Bridenstine, Trump’s NASA administrator, told me. “My goal from day one was to create a program that was sustainable, that could move from one administration to another.”
- The Biden administration also re-emphasizes the importance of climate change research at NASA, appointing Gavin Schmidt as the agency’s senior climate adviser, a new role that will help lead climate research from NASA.
Yes, but: Although political appointments have been made to NASA, the administration has not yet submitted a candidacy for the NASA administrator, a key position that will lead the course of the space agency.
- The first Artemis mission was expected to bring people to the surface of the Moon in 2024, but now it seems less likely and some recommend that the landing date be withdrawn for security and funding reasons.
- Experts also wonder how space policies and space-focused guidelines will be managed under this administration, due to the possible dissolution of the National Space Council.
Between lines: So far, many of Biden’s space news moments have been due to questions from the press, not statements from the administration that have propelled them.
- “They haven’t been very interested in space,” unlike the Trump administration, Todd Harrison of the Center for Strategic and International Studies told me. “That wasn’t part of the campaign, and apparently it’s not something they’ve taken to really speed up and dive.”
What to see: While it now appears there is room on the radar for Biden, the real test will be the amount of funding it proposes in the administration’s budget.
- “You can say all the great words in the world about Artemis,” Casey Dreier of the Planetary Society told me. “You can say all the fantastic things you want about NASA, but when it comes down to it, NASA needs the resources to succeed.”