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As President-elect Donald Trump readies for a second administration, the space industry is watching for one tiny but key development: if he’ll bring back the influential National Space Council. In theory, the council is the illuminati of American space policy, formed of a maximum of seven staff and a leader who reports directly to the vice-president. Their job is to coordinate, prod, and push civil, commercial, and national space policy forward by corralling everyone from NASA to the Department of Commerce. That, of course, requires the council to meet — which historically it hasn’t done.
Founded in 1989 under President George H. W. Bush as the successor to a similar council that gained prominence under space enthusiast Lyndon B. Johnson, the body effectively winked out of existence in 1993 when President Bill Clinton decided not to staff the office. In a twist, though, the council came roaring back in Trump’s first term, launched in a 2017 star-studded signing ceremony that included the second person to walk on the moon, Buzz Aldrin. Observers credit the council with being a significant voice under Vice President Mike Pence — shepherding space policy along as Trump sent NASA back on path toward landing on the moon, established the Space Force and oversaw the increasing commercialization of low earth orbit.
“A lot of the commercial space regulatory reforms were things that the Department of Commerce and [Federal Aviation Administration] were not going to do on their own, and it took White House leadership to get them to do it,” said Todd Harrison, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. Commercial space companies loved the council, with 17 different industry groups telling President Joe Biden he should continue to have the council ahead of his assumption of the presidency in 2021. Reviews were mixed under Vice President Kamala Harris — the council survived, but Harris’s version conducted fewer meetings and issued fewer policy directives. Now with Trump returning, many commercial space companies are hoping for a revival. In theory, it’s a no-brainer that the council would be re-established — the modern version is effectively Trump’s creation. But it’s not clear if it will happen. “I've heard everything from folks are very optimistic for getting a new and improved National Space Council up and running, to this is going to be one of the first and early cuts in the new administration,” said an industry official, speaking on background to discuss the potential changes.
For one, while Vice President Mike Pence was a space aficionado, it’s unclear just how much incoming Vice President JD Vance will want to take up that mantle. A space council under a disinterested vice-president isn’t necessarily a reason for cutting the council, though, said Harrison. Vance may even relish the job, he said. “Vance might realize this is one of the few things as vice president that he can really take a leadership role in.” The Elon factor: Looming over the whole space conversation in 2025 is the figure of Elon Musk — the most successful space entrepreneur in history, a close confidant of Trump, and also the head of a new advisory body charged with slashing government red tape. Will Musk’s enthusiasm for space usher the council back into existence — or does he see it as exactly the kind of government nuisance (and personal obstacle) that needs to be swept out of the way?
In the space community, some worry that Musk doesn’t see the need for a council: Musk may believe that he can supply all the advice on space policy that the White House needs, said the industry representative. SpaceX did not respond to queries on Musk’s position on continuing the National Space Council, nor did the Trump transition team. The private-sector space world is split, said the second industry official: While many companies feel the national space council should return, at least some don’t see it as a priority, (The official, who asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of inter-industry discussions, declined to identify which companies held those positions.) One argument that some companies have made is that Trump’s strong pro-space stance means it's unnecessary to have a council, the person said: “That's the sort of debate going on behind the scenes — do you really need it or not? Many people say yes, absolutely.”
If the council sinks back into obscurity, space policy will continue on, of course, as it did before the council existed, simply with less drive. The unknown factor, though, remains Musk. Without a space council, his views would have that much less resistance — that is, of course, if he decides to place his finger on the scale. Orianna Pawlyk contributed to this report.
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