There’s a new frontier in space exploration, but will Trump be on board? – The Hill (blog)

Theres a jump ball underway in space, and itll be on full display Wednesday at a Senate hearing chaired by Sen. Ted CruzTed CruzOvernight Defense: Senators go to White House for North Korea briefing | Admiral takes 'hit' for aircraft carrier mixup | Lawmakers urged to beef up US missile defense Senators get North Korea briefing in unusual WH visit Overnight Tech: FCC chief unveils plan for net neutrality rollback | Tech on Trump's sweeping tax plan | Cruz looks to boost space industry MORE (R-Texas). Will the administration and Congress be pro-innovation or pro the old way of doing business? And will the team in the White House really look for opportunities to run government more like a business? Theres no better bellwether for answering these questions than the space debate going on right now.

While folks like to talk about the moon or Mars or asteroids, the debate is not so much about destination. Its about how we go anywhere, and it means dealing with the details that is, what contract or procurement approach spurs the most competition and innovation while giving taxpayers the best bang for their buck.

On Monday, President Trump called the International Space Station to congratulate U.S. astronaut Peggy Whitson on becoming our nations most traveled spacefarer. But in the course of that call, the conversation pivoted to Mars. He wants NASA to go in his first term, maybe his second. Will NASA be going in partnership with the commercial space companies you read about, like SpaceX and Blue Origin? Or will the old way of doing business win out? Thats the real question that insiders are watching and the coalitions that support both sides.

President #Trump makes space call to record-breaking #NASA astronaut #PeggyWhitson https://t.co/WGZLOrAQYF

If non-defense spending is going to be cut, per Trumps budget request, humans to Mars in less than a decade is not just impossible, its laughable, especially with an outdated approach.

But heres where the opportunity lies. If we make smart choices, we can do more with what we already have. We can expand what we can achieve even in an era of tight budgets by being smarter about how we partner and the technologies we invest in.

While some say space isnt commercial, tell that to the worlds largest satellite TV provider, AT&Ts DirecTV, which has over a dozen operational satellites in orbit above the earth, earning the company over $33 billion in 2014 revenue. Or tell that to the Satellite Industry Association, which syas that the global space industry market size was $335 billion, the vast majority of which is made up of commercial companies serving commercial customers.

Were living in such an exciting time in space, with new discoveries nearly every day, rockets landing and taking off again, and tourist hops up and back to space within grasp. This renaissance is not due solely to government programs and taxpayer dollars its the unleashing of capitalism in a new frontier. Its the revival of space development, of getting the public excited about these new ventures that is the major source of this space resurgence.

Unfortunately, much of this exciting progress is at risk.

Under President Trump, NASA missions to the Moon, Europa and Mars may beckon. https://t.co/5sIr8KcHcX

At Cruzs hearing, the potential of this uniquely American industry will be discussed. Whats at stake is not whether there will continue to be a government space program or a commercial space industry, but whether the U.S. government and the Trump administration will seize the opportunity and embrace this new era, one that will help create whole new industries and thousands of American jobs in the process.

Some legislators, including folks elected as defenders of free enterprise, would rather defend old ways of thinking than help NASA, the Department of Defense and other U.S. government agencies take advantage of the commercial space age. They want to shut down or cut funding to some of the most innovative programs that are delivering for taxpayers, including Commercial Resupply Services, which funds cargo delivery to the International Space Station, and Commercial Crew, which is set to end Americas dependence upon Russia for astronaut transportation to space.

If Congress doesnt support these critical first steps, it risks stifling the even greater future possibilities of the commercial space revolution. Effective partnership between government space industries and commercial space providers offers the chance to achieve an overall American space program that is worthy of our great nation, without breaking the bank.

So who will the Trump administration give the ball to?

Phil Larson was previously in the Obama White House as senior adviser for space and innovation. Follow him@philliplarson

The views expressed by contributors are their own and are not the views of The Hill.

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There's a new frontier in space exploration, but will Trump be on board? - The Hill (blog)