Space in the 2024 elections

On Nov. 5, 2024, the United States will hold national elections to determine the composition of the House of Representatives, one-third of the Senate, and the President and Vice President. Every four years, this process takes over the airwaves, doorsteps, and mailboxes of the more than 244 million registered voters across the country. 

And while this election – like the many before it – is defined by hot-button issues that motivate voters to pull the lever for their preferred candidates, there is one issue that won’t receive any major statements or position papers before polls close: space. 

Let’s take a closer look at where the two major party candidates, former President Donald Trump for the Republican Party and Vice President Kamala Harris for the Democratic Party, stand on the future of NASA and the American space exploration program.

It is important to note that The Planetary Society is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that does not endorse candidates for president or any other elected office. The analysis provided here is meant to be educational. We look forward to working with the next administration, whether led by former President Trump or Vice President Harris, as NASA navigates the next era of space exploration.

The party line

Before addressing the platforms of the two major party candidates, let’s take a look at how space is portrayed in the party platforms. Every four years, the Democratic and Republican National Committees hold summertime conventions to officially nominate their candidates for President and Vice President. These conventions are a time for the parties to rally around their candidates and adopt the official policy platform, which acts as an overview of the principles, values, and priorities of the party.

Both the Republican and Democratic party platforms offer similar, albeit generalized, support for the nation’s space program. Clocking in at around 50 words apiece, both platforms endorse Artemis and the Moon-to-Mars programs, urge the continuation of U.S. leadership in low-Earth orbit, and support technological innovation as a driver of economic growth.

The placements of these statements are notable. The Democratic stance is listed under a “Manufacturing” subtitle, while the Republican under “Champion Innovation.” This placement shows the role that space plays in presidential politics.

On their records

The 2024 election is unique in that both candidates are quasi-incumbents. Though not in the Oval Office, Vice President Harris has been at the helm of various policy priorities for the Biden Administration, including space as Chair of the National Space Council. Former President Trump, by virtue of his tenure as Commander in Chief, has an extensive history of space policy proposals and statements.

From 2017 to 2021, former President Trump made a number of consequential decisions on space policy, including re-establishing the National Space Council after a 24-year lapse, issuing six Space Policy Directives, and numerous other executive and legislative actions detailed here.

A key accomplishment for the Trump Administration was directing NASA to return Americans to the Moon in a “permanent and sustainable manner” through collaboration with commercial and international partners. This initiative, now known as the Artemis program, enjoyed bipartisan support and was continued by the Biden Administration.

A major focus of the first Trump Administration was promoting commercial space sector growth, streamlining regulations, and encouraging private companies' involvement in space exploration and development. His administration further solidified this approach by issuing an executive order asserting U.S. policy on the utilization of space resources. 

Space security was also a high priority for the Trump Administration. In March 2019, the administration released the National Space Weather Strategy and Action Plan, to help guide actions across the federal government to monitor, prepare for, and respond to inclement space weather. Immediately before leaving office in Jan. 2021, the Trump Administration released a report on planetary defense protocol and the threat posed by near-Earth objects.

Vice President Harris, described by Administrator Bill Nelson as a “space aficionado,” also has a history of supporting NASA and advancing U.S. space policy. As Chair of the National Space Council, she spearheaded policy initiatives focused on leveraging space technologies to combat climate change, foster a diverse and inclusive space workforce, and expand economic opportunities for small businesses. Building on the Artemis program, Vice President Harris led the creation of a National Cislunar Science & Technology Strategy to establish “responsible, peaceful, and sustainable exploration and utilization of Cislunar space.” The strategy promotes scientific discovery as a core goal of future exploration efforts on and around the Moon, as well as international and interagency cooperation in space technology development.

Vice President Harris also demonstrated her commitment to responsible and sustainable space practices by building up diplomatic ties through space agreements like the Artemis Accords. Of the 45 signatories of the Accords, 36 signed on since President Biden and Vice President Harris took office. Vice President Harris also led an effort for an international moratorium on destructive anti-satellite missile tests.

Both the space weather and planetary defense action plans received substantial updates under the Biden Administration. This, and the continuation of programs like Artemis, demonstrate that space policy enjoyed an unusual level of stability between the first Trump Administration and the Biden Administration.

Prior to her role as Vice President, Harris served in the United States Senate from 2017 to 2021. Then-Senator Harris voted in favor of both the enacted 2017 NASA Transition Authorization Act and the 2020 NASA Authorization, which did not become law. Additionally, then-Senator Harris was part of a bipartisan group of legislators that led an effort to award the Congressional Gold Medal to NASA’s “Hidden Figures,” Katherine Johnson, Dr. Christine Darden, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson. These awards were conferred in September 2024 at a ceremony in the U.S. Capitol.

Space policy in the next administration

Both former President Trump and Vice President Harris have demonstrated their enthusiasm for space exploration and acumen for advancing space policy when in positions of power. However, the space policy of a future Harris or second Trump Administration will depend on how space fits into their worldview. Based on what’s been said on the campaign trail so far, we can glean the general direction of both candidates.

Drawing on her record as Vice President and Chair of the National Space Council, Kamala Harris's space policy priorities in her administration would likely blend a continuation of existing initiatives with a renewed focus on championing action on climate change and workforce development. NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, where many of these needs exist currently, is ripe with opportunities for a Harris Administration to champion additional investments in and focus on space science.

Prominence of the U.S. space program is also a clear driving motivator for the Vice President. In her acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention in August, Vice President Harris stated that she “will make sure that we lead the world into the future on space and artificial intelligence. That America, not China, wins the competition for the 21st century and that we strengthen, not abdicate, our global leadership.” This will likely mean that programs that center national posture, namely the Artemis program, will enjoy continued support in a Harris Administration. 

Want to learn more about the possible space priorities of a Harris Administration? check out this interview on Planetary Radio: Space Policy Edition with Lori Garver, former NASA Deputy Administrator and Democratic space policy expert.

For former President Trump, maintaining U.S. preeminence is a major component of his campaign rhetoric. To that end, a second Trump Administration would likely view space as a key arena for competition with China, and would therefore prioritize initiatives aimed at maintaining American dominance in the space domain. This could include bolstering programs that accelerate the development of commercial space capabilities, like Artemis and the Commercial Lunar Payload Services program. Mars Sample Return is an example of a program that offers an opportunity to leverage the burgeoning commercial space industry to accomplish something that no other nation has: returning scientifically significant samples from another planet.

“We will lead the world in space,” said former President Trump at a recent campaign stop in North Carolina. In touting his relationship with SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who has endorsed the former president in his personal capacity, Trump also expressed a need to increase the cadence of Starship launches “because we want to reach Mars before the end of my term.” This implies that a policy of a second Trump Administration will be to expedite the development of NASA’s Moon-to-Mars plan to build upon the Artemis program to send astronauts to Mars.

Check out the Space Policy Edition interview with Dr. Greg Autry to learn about the possible space policy of a second Trump Administration. Dr. Autry served as part of the NASA transition team for the first Trump Administration.

Second in command

While the President sets the tone and direction, the Vice President, as Chair of the National Space Council, plays a central role in implementing an administration’s space policy priorities. Both Governor Tim Walz and Senator J.D. Vance have publicly expressed their support for NASA and space exploration, but neither has the depth of space policy experience of the candidates at the top of their respective tickets.

Senator Vance, representing the home of Glenn Research Facility, joined a congressional letter with fellow Ohio Senator, Sherrod Brown, urging the Biden Administration to provide additional funding for the Glenn Research Center and Neil Armstrong Test Facility in the FY 2024 budget request.

Elected in 2022, Senator Vance has not had the opportunity to vote on any authorizing legislation for NASA. However, if the House’s 2024 NASA Authorization is taken up by the Senate in the waning days of the current Congress, the Senator will have a chance to weigh in given his position on the Commerce & Science Committee.

As Governor of Minnesota, Walz does not have a NASA Center to champion in his state. But as a member of the House of Representatives from 2007 to 2019, Walz was a proponent of the space program as evidenced by his inclusion of “Space Exploration” as a top issue on his official website. “Recently, space exploration has been hit with deep budget cuts,” stated the website entry. “I will continue to work in a bipartisan manner with anyone to ensure America remains a world leader in science and technology.”

During his time in Congress, Walz voted on three NASA authorizations; 2008, 2010, and 2017. Then-Representative Walz voted in favor of the legislation in 2008, but opposed the 2010 bill alongside 63 other Democrats and 54 Republicans. This sizable opposition to a generally non-controversial bill is indicative of either opposition to the Obama Administration’s cancellation of the Constellation Program in favor of developing the Space Launch System (a common criticism at the time), or opposition stemming from displeasure with the unpopular procedural method that was used to bring the bill to a vote. The reason for then-Representative Walz’s vote is not documented. The 2017 NASA Authorization was passed by a voice vote in the House.

Conclusions

Without a doubt, space exploration is as American as apple pie and baseball. But in the high-stakes world of presidential politics, space is not a hallmark issue. And that’s a good thing. But the next Administration, with the help of the 535 members of Congress, has a lot of space on their plate starting Jan. 20, 2025. The next President will likely oversee the return of American astronauts to the Moon, the reformulation of Mars Sample Return, the launch of Dragonfly and NEO Surveyor, the beginnings of the Habitable Worlds Observatory, the first commercial space station(s), and many other accomplishments set up by past presidents. 

Almost every president since Kennedy has made a public proclamation about their space policy priorities at some point during their term in office. Though none are as legendary as President Kennedy’s Rice University speech, other major proclamations include President Reagan’s announcement of Space Station Freedom in his 1984 State of the Union, President George H. W. Bush’s Space Exploration Initiative announcement on the 20th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing, and President Obama’s speech at Kennedy Space Center ending Constellation and initiating a new phase of the commercial space race.

It’s a safe bet that the next president will use upcoming milestones in space to amplify their values and vision for the future of American leadership in the space domain. Though neither candidate has published a space policy platform, based on their past leadership and the information that we have, both candidates see the value of NASA as a tool for building international relationships, bolstering economic growth, and expanding human knowledge about the Cosmos. Both presidential candidates also boast strong support from luminaries in the U.S. space community.

At this time, the American space program is hurting. Years of underinvestment, punctuated by government funding fights and near-shutdowns, have put NASA on a path toward unsustainability. The next president has the opportunity to address fundamental issues facing the civil and commercial space enterprise and lead the nation in its ambitious program to reach for the stars.