Driving Scientific and Technological Innovation in Space

By Dr. Ezinne Uzo-Okoro, OSTP Assistant Director for Space Policy

Space activities symbolize the tireless spirit of American ingenuity, reminding the American people, as President Biden has said, “there’s nothing beyond our capacity.” We can explore the depths of our universe using advanced technologies with telescopes that can show us stellar nurseries and 13.5-billion-year-old galaxies. We can embark on human exploration adventures to the moon and beyond with international partners.

Our nation’s capacity for innovation is a phenomenally powerful engine that can improve the outcomes for the greatest challenges of our time. To accelerate innovation in support of the Biden-Harris Administration’s United States Space Priorities Framework, OSTP has worked to:

• Ensure the United States remains resilient to the effects of space weather through improved forecasting, to protect citizens and astronauts, as announced at the 2023 National Space Council meeting (research framework; plan);
• Conduct transformative science and technology demonstrations in low-Earth orbit and ensure a smooth transition from the successful International Space Station — which has brought together allies, partners, and strategic competitors for scientific research and discovery — to future commercial space stations (strategy and plan);
• Monitor and stabilize our climate through Earth observations from satellites and increased access to space data (data purchases; draft national plan);
• Promote the safety, stability, security, and long-term sustainability of space activities through mitigating, tracking, and remediating space debris (plan); and
• Accelerate innovation in space technologies such as in-space servicing, assembly, and manufacturing capabilities (strategy, plan).

Together with our aeronautics priorities, these policies strengthen space technology innovation and support market growth within the American aerospace and aviation private sectors. This growth will spur new, good-paying American jobs, and inspire the next generation of skilled researchers and explorers to help us reach our greatest aspirations in space and beyond. Aims include fostering competition in the aerospace private sector with robust supply chains, and creating a future in which reimagined technologies mitigate and manage a shifting climate, maintain United States preeminence, and eliminate inequities.

The Biden-Harris Administration will continue to advance policies that bolster American leadership in space, empower the U.S. aerospace private sector, collaborate globally, and promote space sustainability. Together, we will harness the opportunities of space to meet the greatest challenges of our time.

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