The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has been at the forefront of space innovation in the U.S. and has achieved significant milestones over the years. However, it faces lots of challenges today
FREMONT, CA: The race for space supremacy can be traced back to the launch of Sputnik in 1957. Russia, the Cold War Rival, became the first nation to launch a satellite into space, and this triggered the U.S. to invest more in the development of its space technology. In the process of matching the Russian pace, the U.S. unknowingly triggered a whole generation filled with drive and passion towards the space frontier.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has been at the forefront of space innovation in the U.S. and has achieved significant milestones over the years. However, it faces lots of challenges today. Since the 1990s, there has been a shortage of funding for space innovation. The entry of private players into the space field since the 2000s has opened new horizons.
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The Origin of NASA
After the launch of Sputnik by Russia, U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower and the Congress set up NASA as a civilian space agency to lead the path for space innovation and technology. Over the years, the U.S. Presidents have dictated NASA's long term missions and goals.
In 1961, Russia became the first country to send a human into space, Yuri Gagarin. Inspired by this, U.S. President John F. Kennedy set NASA on the goal of sending the first man on the moon. NASA's Apollo 11 established the United States as one of the front runners in space after Neil Armstrong became the first man to step on the lunar surface. After completing six lunar missions, the moon probe was called back to the Earth. Other robotic missions like Voyager and Viking continued to explore the solar system post the lunar missions.
Since then, NASA changed its focus towards sending astronauts to the Lower Earth Orbit (LEO). This led to the launch of Skylab in 1973, the first U.S. space station, and the Space Shuttle. The Space Shuttle was in service for thirty years from 1981 to 2011 and helped in establishing the International Space Station (ISS), an orbiting space laboratory occupied by astronauts since the 2000s.
President George Bush's administration pushed for a return to the moon and a mission to Mars during his tenure. The following Obama regime, however, shifted the focus towards asteroid missions and a crewed mission to Mars by the 2030s. The Donald Trump administration brought back the Bush ideology of returning to the moon and missions to land humans on Mars. Recently, the Congress also announced their intentions to set up a Space Force, a military wing under the Air Force that will specifically tackle threats on the space frontier.
NASA's Funding
Space exploration is very expensive, yet crucial for the U.S. to maintain its space dominance. The allocated budget for NASA peaked during the 1960s, reaching 4.5 percent of the total budget in 1966. This was the case up until the launch of Apollo 11 in 1969.
In 1975, this budget was reduced to a mere 1 percent. Today the budget lingers around a meager 0.5 percent of the total budget. The defense budget, on the other hand, has continued to be around the 20 percent mark. In 2020, the U.S. government allocated USD 20 billion to NASA, just short of the expected 21.5 billion.
After the retirement of the Space Shuttle in 2011, NASA has been left without a space carrier, which has led to increased dependency on the Russian Soyuz Capsule, which charges a hefty USD 82 million per seat. The new private companies in the space market may be able to offer a cost-effective solution to NASA's dilemma, but will not be available until 2023 at least.
Commercializing Space
NASA has always been dependent on private firms for manufacturing spacecraft and parts for different missions. In fact, nearly 85 - 90 percent of NASA's budget flows towards the private contractors. In recent years, NASA has also begun privatizing operations. SpaceX by Elon Musk, Blue Origin by Jeff Bezos, and Virgin Galactic by Richard Branson are the three major private space companies that are leading the way of space tourism for the future.
SpaceX is already under contract with NASA to carry U.S. cargo to the ISS and could provide an economical option to launch astronauts into LEO in the future. This will also allow NASA to restrict their focus to exploration and research, and leave the operations to the private firms. These private companies are also aimed towards making commercial space flight a reality.
Space Careers and Innovation
The space feud between Russia and the U.S. in the 1960s and '70s triggered a generation of kids to take an interest in science. Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education reached its peak during the Apollo 11 landing, and then gradually began to decline. STEM once again became trending after recent administrations reemphasized the need for STEM education and innovation in science and technology.
Space exploration has opened up a plethora of opportunities for humanity. There have been significant innovations and technologies that have been derived from space tech. Innovations like artificial heart, mammograms, and laser eye surgery in the field of medicine have all been derived from space technology.
Global Competition and Cooperation
At present, the U.S. is the only country to have sent humans beyond LEO, but this is likely to change shortly. In 2003, China became the third nation to independently launch a human into orbit, and has been developing its space technology ever since. India is not far behind after it launched its first uncrewed mission to Mars in 2014. The probe entered the Mars orbit in 2014, and the Indian Space Research Organization has made future agreements with NASA over upcoming Mars missions. The European Space Agency (ESA) and Israeli Organization SpaceIL are two other space agencies that have made their presence felt in the space frontier.
The idea of international space cooperation was first put forth by U.S. John F. Kennedy during a speech in 1963. This became a reality in 1975 when U.S. and Russia entered into a partnership on the Apollo Soyuz project. Currently, the U.S. is a managing partner at the ISS, which harbors astronauts from 14 different nations. The future of in-depth space exploration is highly dependent on international ventures.
Space Force; NASA's Nemesis?
Aging infrastructure, declining budget, and competition from other nations are just some of the challenges faced by NASA today. The real blow, however, is the decision by the Trump administration to set up a Space Force. This decision would lead to NASA having to focus on equipping the Space Force instead of investing in in-depth space research and exploration. One of the reasons for this is the accelerated competition between the U.S., Russia, and China. This is also a warning sign that the age of space cooperation is on the verge of coming to an end.
At the same time, there is also a lack of balance and clarity in NASA'S goals. The agency needs to be able to find an equilibrium between driving scientific discovery and developing innovation with commercial benefits.
