NASA's future could see major changes with the election of President Trump and his close relationship with SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. Trump has put Musk in charge of an agency called the Department of Government Efficiency, and Musk has pledged to cut $2 trillion from the national budget, which means he will evaluate contracts related to his own company, SpaceX.
This conflict of interest could be extremely damaging to NASA, with Peter Juhl, national security director at the Popular Policy Institute, noting in an opinion piece published in SpaceNews that NASA could become a conduit for transferring taxpayer funds to Musk's pockets.
Juhl is skeptical of SpaceX's plans for Mars exploration, arguing that the company has not yet demonstrated sufficient technical capabilities to complete even less complex missions. SpaceX would need to launch as many as 16 Starship fuel tankers to get a spacecraft to the surface of the moon, while Musk claims only eight would be needed, but this goal would still require a fairly high launch frequency, and SpaceX has yet to successfully send a rocket into orbit.
In addition, Musk's personal problems could make him even more unreliable in the space program, including his close relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, controversial views on race and gender issues, and a series of sexual harassment allegations. Juhl believes Congress should have the ability to prevent the incoming administration from weakening NASA and effectively prevent its activities from being handed over to a private company.
Congress has intervened in NASA's direction before, including by cutting budgets and forcing major reforms. Therefore, Juhl called on Congress to further advance NASA's non-renewable Space Launch System (SLS), a capability that no other country or private company can match. Although the SLS project has been overspent by billions of dollars and delayed for years, Juhl's proposal emphasizes that Congress should protect NASA, "America's crown jewel."
Preventing NASA from being undermined is particularly important at a time when the role of scientific research is under threat, especially as the Trump administration's past disregard for empirical evidence, such as climate change denial, has become increasingly worrying.
Key points:
#🌌1. Trump's collaboration with Musk could turn NASA into a tool for private interests and undermine its independence.
🚀2. SpaceX has not yet proven its technological capabilities to carry out complex space missions, and future lunar exploration faces challenges.
🏛️3. Congress is called upon to take action to protect NASA’s independence and scientific mission and prevent them from being undermined.
