Misplaced Pages

National Space Council

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Presidential advisory body focused on US space policy

National Space Council meeting in 2019, at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Washington D.C.

The National Space Council is a body within the Executive Office of the President of the United States created in 1989 during the George H. W. Bush administration, disbanded in 1993, and reestablished in June 2017 by the Donald Trump administration. It is a modified version of the earlier National Aeronautics and Space Council (1958–1973).

The National Space Council operates as an office of policy development and handles a portfolio of civil, commercial, national security, and international space policy matters. Composed of cabinet-level members and supported by a Users Advisory Group, the council is chaired by the vice president of the United States.

National Aeronautics and Space Council (NASC)

1958–1973

Established by the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958, the NASC was chaired by the President of the United States (then Dwight Eisenhower). Other members included the Secretaries of State and Defense, the NASA Administrator, the Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, plus up to four additional members (one from the federal government and up to three from the private industry) chosen at the President's discretion.

The Council was allowed to employ a staff to be headed by a civilian executive secretary. Eisenhower did not use the NASC extensively during the remainder of his term, and recommended at the end of his last year in office that it be abolished. He did not fill the post of executive secretary but named an acting secretary on loan from NASA. Shortly before assuming office, then President-elect John F. Kennedy announced that he wanted his Vice President, Lyndon Johnson, to become chairman of the NASC, requiring an amendment to the Space Act.

Edward C. Welsh was the first executive secretary of the NASC, appointed in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy. Welsh, who as a legislative aide to Senator Stuart Symington (D-Missouri) helped draft the 1958 legislation that created NASA and the NASC, spent the 1960s as the principal advisor to the White House on space issues. He also assisted in the development of the legislation that created the Communications Satellite Corporation (COMSAT). After his retirement in 1969, he remained active as an advisor to NASA.

The NASC was abolished in 1973 by a reorganization of the Executive Office of the President. President Richard Nixon decided that, because "basic policy issues in the United States space effort have been resolved, and the necessary interagency relationships have been established", the NASC was no longer needed.

National Space Council

1989–1993

George H. W. Bush created the National Space Council by Executive Order 12675. The Council was chaired by Vice President Dan Quayle and included the following members:

Disbanding

On February 12, 1992, friction between the largely astronaut-based management at NASA and the National Space Council led to Richard Truly, then NASA Administrator and a former astronaut, being removed from the council. Truly was forced out after Vice President Quayle and the space council's executive director, Mark J. Albrecht, enlisted the aid of Samuel K. Skinner, the White House chief of staff, in urging Pres. Bush to remove Truly. Quayle and the council staff made the move because they felt Truly would impede a new plan to restructure and streamline many aspects of the space program, including the space agency administration.

In 1993, the Space Council was disbanded and its functions absorbed by the National Science and Technology Council.

In August 2008, when campaigning for president, Barack Obama promised to re-establish the National Aeronautics and Space Council. However, he completed two terms as president without having done so.

2017 revival

Pence (center) speaks at the sixth meeting of the revived council in 2019
The second meeting took place in the high bay of the Space Station Processing Facility at KSC, Feb 2019.

In October 2016, Robert Smith Walker and Peter Navarro, two senior policy advisers to GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump, wrote in an op-ed in SpaceNews that if elected, Trump would reinstitute a national space policy council headed by the vice president. In the first year of the Trump administration, Vice President Mike Pence indicated that the space council would be re-established, and would have a significant involvement in the direction of America's activities in space. On June 30, 2017, President Trump signed an executive order for such a reestablishment. The revival of the National Space Council and the drafting of the Executive Order was led by Trump's senior advisor Peter J. White. Following its re-institution, the council met for the first time on October 5, 2017, at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center and Space Museum in Chantilly, Virginia. On December 9, 2020, the 8th and last meeting of the White House National Space Council under the leadership of then Vice President Mike Pence took place at Kennedy Space Center (KSC), FL. Major announcements were a new National Space Policy and the naming of 18 NASA astronauts on the Artemis Team. The executive secretary of the National Space Council was Scott Pace during the Trump Administration.

List of meetings of the Revived National Space Council chaired by then Vice President Mike Pence:

The revived National Space Council consists of the following members:

National Space Council Users Advisory Group

This section needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (October 2020)

On February 20, 2018, Vice President Mike Pence, Chairman of the National Space Council announced the candidates selected to serve on the National Space Council Users Advisory Group. Pending official appointment by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the selected members of the Users Advisory Group will serve to fulfill President Trump's mandate to "foster close coordination, cooperation, and technology and information exchange" across our nation's space enterprise. The announcement was made on the eve of the second meeting of the National Space Council. "Moon, Mars, and Worlds Beyond: Winning the Next Frontier" includes testimonials from leaders in the civil, commercial, and national security sectors about the importance of the United States' space enterprise. NSC UAG consists of six subcommittees. Details are at nasa.gov With detailed reports of meetings at FederalRegister.gov. and the most recent meeting agenda booklet

Selection to the National Space Council Users Advisory Group:

National Space Council Fifth Meeting Summary

The fifth meeting of the National Space Council was held on March 26, 2019, where Chairman Vice President Mike Pence announced that U.S. astronauts would return to the surface of the Moon by March 26, 2024. Reports from NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine and other council members were received and reviewed during the meeting. The Vice President also stated that NASA would be directed to ensure that the first woman and next man on the Moon will both be American astronauts from American soil, and that the Trump Administration and the American people are committed to achieving that goal at the Marshall Space Flight Center, located in Huntsville, Alabama. He emphasized that the National Space Council would be aiming to get to the Moon's South Pole, which holds great "scientific, economic, and strategic value".

Afterward, there were two expert panels on human space exploration and council discussion, respectively.

Panel 1: Ready to Fly, was led by:

  • Les Lyles, Retired U.S. Air Force general and former Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force
  • Eileen Collins former U.S. Air Force officer and NASA Astronaut
  • Sandy Magnus, former NASA Astronaut

Panel 2: Ready to Explore, was led by:

  • Dan Dumbacher, Executive Director of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
  • Jack Burns, Director and Principal Investigator of the Network for Exploration and Space Science and a professor at the University of Colorado, Boulder
  • Wanda Sigur, current aerospace consultant and former Vice President and General Manager of the Civil Space business at Lockheed Martin Space Systems

Biden administration

On 29 March 2021 a spokesperson for the National Security Council announced that the National Space Council would continue under the Biden administration. In the statement the spokesperson said, "At a time of unprecedented activity and opportunity generated by America’s activities in space, the National Space Council will be renewed to assist the President in generating national space policies, strategies, and synchronizing America’s space activities." While the makeup of the council has yet to be finalized the spokesperson stated "While we are still working details, we will tailor the Council to ensure we have representation that can address the priorities of the Administration — such as space-related science and technologies, space exploration, solutions to address climate change, ensuring economic and educational opportunities, building partnerships, cementing norms of behaviors in space, and addressing matters of national security efforts in space."

It was also announced that the council's User Advisory Group would continue. On April 29, 2021, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson announced Vice President Kamala Harris was appointed chairman of the council. Vice President Harris later appointed Chirag Parikh as executive secretary of the National Space Council, on August 2, 2021.

List of meetings of the Revived National Space Council chaired by Vice President Kamala Harris:

On August 12, 2022, Introduction by Sala Ba. Vice President Harris presented a briefing on supporting the Commercial Space Sector. Harris announced the second meeting of the National Space Council at the Chabot Space and Science Center in Oakland, California. The meeting will take place on September 9, 2022. Video: Transcript:

  • 2nd meeting is scheduled for September 9, 2022
  • 3rd meeting took place on December 20, 2023. Introduction by Canadian Space Agency astronaut and Artemis 2 crew member Jeremy Hansen at the Mellon Auditorium in Washington DC. V.P. Kamala Harris Chairs National Space Council Meeting in Washington (Official NASA Stream).

A new User Advisory Group is appointed in December 2022. It is chaired by Lester Lyles.

  • General (USAF, Ret) Lester Lyles, UAG Chair
  • Mr. Rajeev Badyal, VP of Technology, Amazon Project Kuiper
  • Mr. Charles Bolden, Former NASA Administrator and Former Astronaut
  • Mr. Salvatore T. Bruno, CEO, United Launch Alliance
  • Dr. Lance Bush, President & CEO, Challenger Center
  • Ms. Bridget Chatman, Chairwoman, Women in Aerospace
  • Mr. Theodore “Ted” Colbert, CEO, Boeing Defense, Space & Security
  • Ms. Nancy Colleton, President, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies
  • Ms. Karina Drees, President, Commercial Spaceflight Federation
  • Mr. Eric Fanning, President and CEO, Aerospace Industries Association
  • Dr. Daniel Hastings, Head, Department of Aeronautics & Astronautics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • Ms. Dawne Hickton, Subject Matter Expert
  • Mr. Daniel Jablonsky, President & CEO, Maxar Technologies
  • Dr. Dave Kaufman, President, Ball Aerospace
  • Mr. Patrick Lin, Director of the Ethics & Emerging Sciences Program, California Polytechnic State University
  • Mr. Ron Lopez, President & Managing Director, Astroscale US
  • Dr. Harold Lee Martin, Chancellor of North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University
  • Dr. Kate Marvel, Climate Scientist at Project Drawdown
  • Maj Gen (Ret) Roosevelt “Ted” Mercer, CEO & Director, Virginia Space 
  • Dr. Marla Perez-Davis, former director, NASA Glenn Research Center
  • Dr. Sian Proctor, Geoscience Professor, South Mountain Community College
  • Ms. Gwynne Shotwell, President & COO, SpaceX
  • Dr. Robert Smith, CEO, Blue Origin
  • Mr. James Taiclet, President & CEO, Lockheed Martin
  • Dr. Mandy Vaughn, Subject Matter Expert
  • Ms. Kathy Warden, Chairwoman & CEO, Northrop Grumman Corp
  • Mr. Robbie Schingler, Jr., Co-Founder & Chief Strategy Officer, Planet Labs
  • Ms. Melanie Stricklan, Co-Founder & CEO, Slingshot Aerospace
  • Dr. Jeremy Williams, Head, Climate Corporation & Digital Farming, Bayer Crop Science
  • Ms. Katrina Harden Williams, Middle School Teacher, Ames Middle School, Iowa

References

  1. "The National Space Council". Congressional Research Service. December 12, 2016. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  2. "National Space Council will explore military space and intelligence roles and responsibilities". May 8, 2024.
  3. Day, Dwayne A. (June 21, 2004). "A new space council?". The Space Review. United States: Pocket Ventures, LLC. SpaceNews. Retrieved March 28, 2015.
  4. "REORGANIZATION PLAN NO. 1 OF 1973". uscode.house.gov. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
  5. George Bush (April 20, 1989). "Executive Order 12675—Establishing the National Space Council". Retrieved April 13, 2022 – via The American Presidency Project.
  6. Leary, Warren E. (February 15, 1992). "Quayle's Influence Seen in NASA Shake-Up". The New York Times. New York City. Retrieved August 6, 2008.
  7. "National Space Policy". United States Department of Commerce. Washington, D.C.: Executive Office of the President of the United States. Retrieved March 28, 2015.
  8. Bruns, Aaron (August 2, 2008). "Fighting Over the Final Frontier". Fox News. New York City: Fox Entertainment Group. Archived from the original on September 9, 2008.
  9. "The Obameter: Re-establish the National Aeronautics and Space Council". PolitiFact.com. United States: Tampa Bay Times. August 2, 2010. Retrieved March 28, 2015.
  10. Walker, Robert S.; Navarro, Peter (October 19, 2016). "Op-ed Trump's space policy reaches for Mars and the stars". SpaceNews. Alexandria, Virginia: Pocket Ventures, LLC. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
  11. Berger, Eric (June 30, 2017). "Trump to sign executive order creating a national space council". Ars Technica. United States: Condé Nast. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
  12. Berger, Eric (June 30, 2017). "No space for new space at Trump's space council rollout". Ars Technica. United States: Condé Nast. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
  13. Office of the Press Secretary (June 30, 2017). "Presidential Executive Order on Reviving the National Space Council". whitehouse.gov. Washington, D.C. Retrieved July 1, 2017 – via National Archives.
  14. Ware, Doug C. (June 30, 2017). "Trump orders resurrection of National Space Council". UPI. Washington, D.C.: News World Communications. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
  15. Space News Staff (June 30, 2017). "President Trump reestablishes National Space Council". SpaceNews. Alexandria, Virginia: Pocket Ventures, LLC. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
  16. Berger, Eric (June 30, 2017). "No space for new space at Trump's space council rollout". ArsTechnica.
  17. "Vice President Pence Opening and closing remarks at the National Space Council Meeting". whitehouse.gov (Press release) – via National Archives.
  18. Marcia Smith (December 15, 2020). "Meeting Summaries". Event occurs at 12:21 pm ET. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
  19. "Vice President Pence Hosts National Space Council". October 5, 2017. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved September 1, 2019 – via www.youtube.com.
  20. "Vice President Pence Leads the Second Meeting of the National Space Council". February 21, 2018. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved September 1, 2019 – via www.youtube.com.
  21. "Vice President Pence Meets with the National Space Council". June 18, 2018. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved September 1, 2019 – via www.youtube.com.
  22. "Vice President Mike Pence chairman of the National Space Council". Archived from the original on December 21, 2021.
  23. "National Space Council to meet to discuss exploration plans". SpaceNews.com. March 20, 2019. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
  24. NASA (March 26, 2019), Fifth Meeting of the National Space Council, archived from the original on December 21, 2021, retrieved March 27, 2019
  25. "Sixth Meeting of the National Space Council | SpaceRef". spaceref.com. Retrieved August 18, 2019.
  26. "NSC Meeting Event". spacepolicyonline.com. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
  27. "Update on Seventh Meeting of the National Space Council". spaceref.com. March 13, 2020. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
  28. "National Space Council Meeting Moved - NASA Watch". nasawatch.com. March 13, 2020. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
  29. "Seventh Meeting of the National Space Council - YouTube". www.youtube.com. May 19, 2020. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  30. "NASA Image and Video Library".
  31. "WATCH LIVE: Pence chairs 8th meeting of National Space Council - YouTube". www.youtube.com. December 9, 2020. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  32. "Presidential Executive Order on Reviving the National Space Council". whitehouse.gov. June 30, 2017. Retrieved July 6, 2017 – via National Archives.
  33. "Amending Executive Order 13803 – Reviving the National Space Council". whitehouse.gov. February 13, 2020. Retrieved February 18, 2020 – via National Archives.
  34. "Vice President Pence Announces National Space Council Users Advisory Group". whitehouse.gov. Retrieved September 1, 2019 – via National Archives.
  35. Mochinski, Ron (December 12, 2017). "National Space Council Users' Advisory Group". NASA. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
  36. "Document Search Results for 'National Space Council Users' Advisory Group'". Federal Register. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
  37. Ellingson, Annlee (November 17, 2017). "Virgin Orbit's Vox Space lands first client". L.A. Biz.
  38. Smith, Yvette. "Fifth Meeting of the National Space Council." NASA, 26 Mar. 2019, www.nasa.gov/feature/fifth-meeting-of-the-national-space-council.
  39. "Remarks by Vice President Pence at the Fifth Meeting of the National Space Council | Huntsville, AL." The White House, The U.S. Space & Rocket Center, www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-vice-president-pence-fifth-meeting-national-space-council-huntsville-al/.
  40. Mochinski, Ron. "Daniel L. Dumbacher." NASA, NASA, 31 Mar. 2020, www.nasa.gov/offices/nac/members/Daniel-Dumbacher-bio.
  41. Jack Burns, Ph.D. (n.d.). Retrieved October 12, 2020, from
  42. Board of Advisors, Wanda A. Sigur. (2020, October 07). Retrieved October 12, 2020, from https://exploredeepspace.com/about-us/board_of_advisors/board-of-advisors-wanda-sigur/
  43. Bender, Bryan (March 29, 2021). "SCOOP: Biden to renew National Space Council". politico.com. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  44. Thompson, Tabatha (May 1, 2021). "Sen. Bill Nelson Statement on National Space Council". NASA. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
  45. "Harris to place "personal stamp" on National Space Council". SpaceNews. May 1, 2021. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
  46. Wall, Mike (November 6, 2021). "Vice President Harris to lead her 1st National Space Council meeting Dec. 1". Space.com. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
  47. "Harris to convene first National Space Council meeting Dec. 1". SpaceNews. November 5, 2021. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
  48. "VP Harris To Convene First Space Council Meeting on December 1". Retrieved November 6, 2021.
  49. "NATIONAL SPACE COUNCIL MEETING, Sept 9, 2022". Retrieved August 26, 2022.
  50. Vice President Harris Delivers Remarks on Ongoing Work from the National Space Council, August 12, 2022, retrieved August 26, 2022
  51. House, The White (April 19, 2022). "Transcript of Vice President Harris on the Ongoing Work to Establish Norms in Space". The White House. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
  52. "WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SPACE COUNCIL, Dec 20, 2023, DC, 2:00 pm ET (webcast)". Retrieved April 4, 2024.
George H. W. Bush
Presidency

Life
Speeches
Elections
U.S. Senate
U.S. House
Vice Presidential
Presidential
Public image
Books
Legacy
Family
First presidency of Donald Trump (2017–2021)
Tenure
Timeline
Speeches
Policies
Personnel
Executive Office of the United States President
Executive Office
White House Office
Politics of outer space
Space races
Chinese
space program
ESA Science Programme
Horizon 2000 (1985–1995)
Horizon 2000 Plus (1995–2015)
Cosmic Vision (2015–2025)
EU Space Programme
Other European
initiatives and bodies
Indian space policy
British
space programme
US space policy
Truman
space policy
Eisenhower
space policy
Kennedy
space policy
Johnson
space policy
Nixon
space policy
Ford
space policy
Carter
space policy
Reagan
space policy
George H. W. Bush
space policy
Clinton
space policy
George W. Bush
space policy
Obama
space policy
Trump
space policy
USSR and Russia
Soviet
space
program
Stalin
Khrushchev
Brezhnev
Gorbachev
  • Mir (1986–2001)
Roscosmos
Yeltsin
Medvedev
Putin
Other policies
United Nations
Other intergovernmental
or inter-agency bodies
Space law
Commercial use
Militarisation
Space forces,
units and formations
Space warfare
Space advocacy
Public-sector space agencies
Africa
Pan-African
and pan-Arab
National
Americas
North America
Latin America
and the Caribbean
Asia
Pan-Asian
Central Asia
East Asia
South Asia
Southeast Asia
West Asia
Europe
Pan-European
EU and EEA
Other
Oceania
World
Former
Categories: