On Wednesday morning, US Vice President Kamala Harris led the Biden administration’s inaugural National Space Council meeting, at which she and other political leaders outlined their priorities for the future of operations. civil, commercial and military spaces. She was the first woman and first person of color to run such a meeting, traditionally led by the vice president. Although Harris has extensive foreign policy experience, this is her first major foray into space politics.
“While our space exploration takes us to the moon, Mars, and the edge of our solar system, I believe we also have a responsibility to look at our home planet,” Harris said. at a meeting held at the American Institute of Peace in Washington, DC, and streamed online. She was introduced by the Arizona Senator and former astronaut Mark Kelly, who said that “space exploration has the incredible ability to inspire future generations,” while citing his own inspiration from “Neil and Buzz”.
The National Space Council is meant to coordinate the policies and priorities of a variety of government agencies that deal with everything from space observation to launch, communications and security. Former President George HW Bush established the original council in 1989, led by his vice president, Dan Quayle. The organization was then disbanded in 1993. Former President Donald Trump revived the council in 2017, and then Vice President Mike Pence headed the organization for a series of eight meetings. In March, President Joe Biden’s national security advisers announced that the administration would revive the council.
The meeting brought together leaders from more than a dozen federal agencies and included advisors from the space industry and the military. Along with the meeting, President Biden signed a executive order added five new members to the council: the Secretary of Education, Labor, Agriculture and Home Affairs, as well as the National Climate Advisor. These additions are intended to ensure that the benefits of U.S. space operations are widely applied across society, Harris said.
Harris also announced the release US Space Priority Framework, which outlines the goals of the Biden administration. It appears to maintain support for several policies from the previous administration: funding the moon program, known as Artemis; building the military branch of the Space Force; increased competition with space rivals China and Russia; invest in science and technology education; continue to support non-binding rules or standards that will limit congestion and garbage in orbit; and facilitate the development of the commercial space industry. The framework also identifies “space is critical to modern warfare” and calls for the expansion of the development of Earth observation satellites to support Action on climate change.
“Without clear standards for responsible use of space, we are at real risk to our national and global security,” Harris said. She mentioned Russian anti-satellite missile test two weeks ago as an “irresponsible act;” it created about 1,500 orbital debris, making it impossible for astronauts on the International Space Station to do so a spacewalk is scheduled for Tuesday. The debris field caused by that test, and previous tests by China, the US and India, have shown that flotsam can stay in orbit and threaten spacecraft for years.
