Critical To U.S. Preeminence In Space

NASA is critical to national security. China intends to lead the world in space, and if that’s not a concern to you, it should be: The United States can boost its position by reinvigorating NASA as part of a three-tiered effort to win the 21st century space race.

Over the past two decades, China has demonstrated a direct-ascent anti-satellite weapon, littering space with more than 3,000 pieces of the dead satellite it used for target practice; deployed laser weapons in tests against U.S. spacecraft, deployed a satellite with a robotic arm that can grapple rival satellites, and maneuvered its spacecraft to test U.S. responses. China has also visited the dark side of the Moon, a key first step to potential territorial claims there—and, potentially, beyond.

As Rep. Brian Babin (R-Texas) aptly explained at a recent congressional hearing: “One of my greatest concerns is that NASA astronauts will arrive at the Moon only to be greeted by a sign that says, ‘No Trespassers’—in Mandarin.”

Fundamental Space Sectors

The U.S. earned its lead global position in space through a combination of military, commercial, and civil space activities. All three sectors embrace an over-arching U.S. belief that space should remain open and accessible to all nations. America welcomes Chinese space activity; yet our national leaders rightfully view China’s behavior in space as dangerous. Countering China in space will therefore require a unified response that bridges all three sectors of U.S. space activity.

Since its birth in 2019, the U.S. Space Force has worked to counter China’s threatening activity. Under Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman, the Space Force has defined a highly effective strategy; corresponding operational concepts and technologies; and a new training regimen to ensure U.S. equities in space are secured. The Space Force is on the right track.

The U.S. commercial space industry is likewise accelerating its contributions. New entrants are joining traditional aerospace giants to field new capabilities with greater capacity and faster performance than ever before. Case in point: This month, for the first time in decades, an American spacecraft landed on the Moon. Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lander touched down March 2, the first commercial spacecraft to land on the Moon in history. Upon landing it began a two-week science mission for NASA.

Firefly’s landing is an incredible achievement, one that would have been inconceivable just a decade ago. What made it possible was the strength of the U.S. commercial space industrial base, which is redefining daily the art of the possible as people and organizations are incentivized to innovate and are freed from the constraints in place if in government.

The third component of America’s spacepower triad is the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Once the penultimate disruptive actor during the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs of the 1960s and 1970s, NASA lost some of its mystique over the past quarter century, as the once daring agency became bogged down by bureaucracy, budget cuts, and erosion of its traditional derring-do.

America’s original journey to the Moon and back was an incredible national achievement, signifying both undeniable technical superiority and the power of the American system to achieve even the most audacious of goals.

Today, 55 years after Neil Armstrong took that first “giant leap for mankind,” NASA must return to those foundational principles.

NASA’s budget of roughly $25 billion amounts to less than half of 1 percent of the federal budget—less even than the U.S. Space Force. Risk-averse leadership dynamics have come to dominate its culture, and cost overruns and inefficiencies further dilute the impact of its limited funds.

By contrast, in the Apollo years, when NASA was leading America’s foray into space, its budget reached 4 percent of U.S. government spending—eight times, proportionally, our national investment today.

Meanwhile, China is doubling down on its space investment and accelerating its lunar ambitions. Not only has China landed on the far side of the Moon, it has also established communications capability there and is planning to establish a permanent lunar base by 2030. In other words, China is ahead in its 21^st century space race with the U.S.

America must respond with robust action and corresponding investment. The Trump administration has committed to sending Americans to Mars, but it will take more than words to achieve that and related objectives. American can only win this new space race with strong leadership and a budget to match.

Leadership

President Trump has already made the right move with respect to leadership. NASA needs a bold, results-driven leader, experienced in developing space technology and able to inspire change, disrupt stagnation, and hold people accountable. That is exactly what the president’s choice, Mr. Jared Isaacman, brings to the fore.

Mr. Isaacman is a visionary leader with strong business acumen who founded Shift4 Payments—a payment processing company—and built it into a multibillion international operation. Later, he founded Draken International, one of the first large-scale private companies providing adversary air support to U.S. military services, a challenging and risky business that gave him invaluable insight into government contracting, risk mitigation, and more. A trained pilot himself, he has also flown in space—twice.

Having led the first all-private crew into orbit in space on Inspiration4 and later commanded the Polaris Dawn mission, performing the first civilian spacewalk, Mr. Isaacman is uniquely qualified to ensure U.S. preeminence in space.

Most important, he understands that NASA’s success is fundamentally intertwined with America’s national security.

If confirmed as the new NASA Administrator—and there is no reason to think he will not—Mr. Isaacman should view his new charge through three primary lenses: technical advancement, industrial and international partnership, and renewed international prestige.

Winning the 21st Century Space Race

First, America’s space accomplishments fundamentally depend on demonstrated results. That demands aggressive, consistent technological progress. NASA’s recent activities have moved it forward in some areas—like the 2021 double asteroid redirection test mission—but more should be expected of our national space agency. The record over the years is too often one of delays and setbacks, whether that involves launch vehicles, crew capsules, or even returning astronauts from space. To chart a return to the moon and beyond, America needs to see progress and a clear demand for excellence.

Funding is a crucial element here, but no more than leadership. Isaacman’s record as a business leader and private astronaut shows he has the skillset to reestablish at NASA a culture defined by bold initiative and accountability.

Second, NASA must seek to foster and empower partnerships with both commercial industry and aligned nations. The commercial lunar payload services (CLPS) program is a clear example of positive collaboration, as is the creation and expansion of the Artemis Accords, now supported by 53 nations committed to peaceful exploration of space, is another positive example. In both cases, technical accomplishments and international teaming are yielding results far greater than what a single actor could achieve alone. This is crucial given China’s resources and determination.

Finally, with technical advancements and partnerships moving forward, the American people should enjoy robust prestige and pride regarding their nation’s advancements in space. The image of the U.S. flag on the moon—an indelible icon since 1969—remains a marker for all mankind.

We must return to that results-oriented ethos, which stands in stark contrast to the years when U.S. astronauts were relegated to relying on Russian boosters to get them into orbit.

New markers in the race include U.S. astronauts returning to the Moon and the nation’s ambitious objective to land on Mars. Yet many Presidents have talked about this goal without making the investment to deliver that outcome. Now is the time to commit.

As China strives to dominate space, only the United States can pose a credible challenge. Either America leads this journey, setting the norms and standards for the rest of the world, or China will lead, choosing rules that support its own jingoistic aims.

We have already seen what Chinese domination looks like on Earth. We’ve seen it in Hong Kong and in international waters near the Philippines and Vietnam. We can expect the same kind of aggressive approach in space.

Re-establishing NASA as a powerful civilian technological leader is a necessary step to securing America’s strategic, economic, and technological future. NASA is critical to national security. If America cedes its primacy in space, it risks losing its competitive edge on Earth. As Gene Krantz, the father of the Apollo space program once declared, “Failure is not an option.”