NASA warns of the “risks that a change of course could cause”

Whatever the outcome of the American presidential elections and the elected candidate, NASA insists on the importance of preserving its exploration objectives. The American agency wants the space policy of the next administration to continue to support the return of the United States to the Moon as part of the Artemis program, while initiating precursor programs for manned missions to Mars.

The winning bet of continuity

Jim Free, associate administrator of NASA, unsurprisingly points out that “ maintaining consistent direction in lunar missions is essential “. He warns against “ risks that a change of course could generate, in particular the dispersion of efforts and the risk of losing American leadership in the space domain – an unfortunately common occurrence when new administrations take power. Free emphasizes that under the government of Joe Biden, the Artemis effort, initiated by Donald Trump, was largely maintained, thus recalling “ that such consistency has not been observed since the Apollo program ».

Although the presidential candidates have not detailed their space policy that they would like to pursue, the information available on the Internet sites of the Republican and Democratic parties shows a certain consensus in favor of the continuity of current space programs. This could indicate a bipartisan desire to support the United States’ return to the Moon and its lasting settlement.

Poorly detailed space policy programs

Concretely, Democratic candidate Kamala Harris affirmed that she would continue to support NASA and the American presence aboard the International Space Station, while continuing the return of astronauts to the Moon and Mars. Her track record as chair of the National Space Council suggests she should continue most of the major current programs and policies.

As for Donald Trump, a strong supporter of human exploration, he announces that under his leadership, the United States will establish a robust manufacturing industry in orbitorbit Earth, return astronauts to the Moon and then Mars, and strengthen partnerships with the growing commercial space sector. In this context, its rapprochement with Elon MuskElon Musk could have positive consequences on exploration programs, in particular by accelerating the schedules of current programs.

With Trump, Mars in the crosshairs

During a political speech, Trump said he could lead a highly accelerated program of human missions to Mars using SpaceX’s Starship. “ We are going to land an American astronaut on Mars. Thanks, Elon “, he said during a rally on October 24.

For his part, Elon Musk recently shared his ambitions for Mars, indicating that he “ planned to launch five StarshipStarship bound for the Red Planet in two years “, that is to say in 2026 during the next windowwindow shooting. If these missions are successful, Musk plans to “ possibility of manned missions in four years, in 2028 ”, although difficulties could lead to a two-year postponement. If this calendar, unveiled on X on September 8, is very ambitious to say the least, it must be kept SpaceXSpaceX and Elon Musk have always kept their promises, albeit with considerable delay.