NASA warns of ISS emergency deorbit risk, SpaceX to design Golden Dome?

It’s been a difficult month for space science enthusiasts, and there’s one very clear reason. The Trump administration’s proposed NASA budget would slash science funding by almost 50 percent. 

In an interview with Interesting Engineering, Casey Dreier, Chief of Space Policy at the Planetary Society, said that “this proposed budget, if enacted, would plunge NASA science into a dark age.” 

Meanwhile, NASA officials warn of the real dangers of an International Space Station budget shortfall. And Elon Musk has been tipped to earn a very lucrative military contract to help build Trump’s Golden Dome defense system. Let’s take a look at the details below.

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AEROSPACE ENGINEERING SPOTLIGHT

SpaceX and Elon Musk to help build Trump’s ‘Golden Dome’?

With tensions rising across the globe, the world’s military powers are increasingly prioritizing hypersonic weapons capabilities. Unsurprisingly, this means defense contractors are set to earn lucrative contracts, as the war machine continues to turn its gears unabated.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is likely to benefit from this military escalation. The world’s wealthiest man, who donated $250 million to President Donald Trump’s election campaign, is now being tipped to win a lucrative contract for Trump’s Golden Dome.

The Golden Dome, inspired by Israel’s Iron Dome system, was devised to be a layered missile defense system capable of intercepting hypersonic and ballistic missile attacks. In a January executive order, President Trump described a missile strike as “the most catastrophic threat facing the United States.”

According to reports, Elon Musk’s company is collaborating with startups Palantir and Anduril to bid for the development of critical components of the Golden Dome. The founders of all three firms are known for their strong political backing of Trump.

It is worth noting that the selection process is still in its early phase. While Musk and his collaborators are in a strong position, they are not guaranteed to win the contract. Other firms that have shown interest in developing key technologies for the Golden Dome include Ursa Major, Epirus, and Armada.

Specifically, SpaceX is bidding to build the “custody layer” of Trump’s Golden Dome. This layer consists of a satellite network that would detect missiles and assess whether they pose a threat to the US. This layer would cost about $6–10 billion.

A SpaceX win would mark a major shift away from traditional defense contractors. Since reports of Musk’s potential involvement in Golden Dome came to light, a group of 42 Democratic lawmakers has published an open letter expressing their concerns over a conflict of interest.

AERO BULLETIN

Trump’s assault on space science as ISS enters ‘riskiest period’

If the massive emphasis on military technologies under Trump wasn’t evident enough, the administration’s proposed NASA budget would cut science funding in half. All the while, NASA officials are warning that the International Space Station (ISS) faces the risk of an emergency deorbit and requires more funding. Here are a few key areas in which NASA faces dramatic budget concerns under Trump’s administration.

No launch for the Nancy Grace Roman Telescope 

The Nancy Grace Roman Telescope is NASA’s next major space observatory. It was assembled at a cost of $3.5 billion and is ready for launch. If Trump’s new NASA budget makes it through Congress, the observatory won’t fly to space as it won’t receive funding for science operations.

As Senator Chris Van Hollen recently stated, “They want to flush those taxpayer dollars down the drain. How is THAT efficient?

NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center would be shut down

Under Trump’s proposed budget, the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland would be permanently closed down. 10,000 civil servants and contractors currently work at the historic Maryland facility. The mirror for NASA’s most advanced operational space observatory, the James Webb Space Telescope, was assembled at Goddard.

The International Space Station may not receive crucial funding

NASA officials recently warned that the ISS is entering its “riskiest period” as it approaches the end of its lifespan. The iconic orbital outpost is scheduled for deorbit in 2030. However, NASA officials have warned that the ISS is facing an “increasing risk” due to its aging hardware. If the current situation continues, it could even perform an emergency deorbit.

“If there is a deorbit of the ISS before [the scheduled controlled deorbit], the risk to the public from ISS breakup debris will increase by orders of magnitude,” Rich Williams, a member of a NASA safety panel explained, adding that “overarching all of these risks is a large ISS budget shortfall.”

Mars Sample Return could be canceled

NASA’s Mars Sample Return program has faced criticism for going massively over budget. However, that mission would collect samples from Mars that have already been collected by the $2.7 billion Mars Perseverance rover mission. Trump’s proposed budget would lead to the Mars Sample Return mission being canceled altogether.

Experts have warned that this could practically hand space science leadership to China, as the country has its own Mars sample return mission in the works.