Today, President Trump signed an executive order to reinstate the National Space Council, an executive agency that will be tasked with guiding US space policy during the administration. The council, typically chaired by the vice president, is one that the US has seen before; it was first in operation during the ‘60s and ‘70s and then again under the George H.W. Bush administration, before being dissolved in 1993. Now, it’s back again, and this time with Vice President Mike Pence at the helm.
“This will be Pence’s eyes and ears into our government’s actions in space.”
Other notable members of the executive branch will serve on the council as well, according to a draft of the order obtained by The Verge. Those include the secretary of state and the secretary of defense, as well as NASA’s administrator — though that positioned has yet to be filled permanently. The executive order lays out the main functions of the council, too, which revolve around making recommendations of space policy for the president and how to implement that guidance. It also calls for the creation of an advisory group, comprised of non-government workers and those in the industry to provide advice.
The council’s purview includes NASA, as well as the US Air Force and intelligence community, which rely heavily on satellites for national defense. “Basically this will be Pence’s eyes and ears into our government’s actions in space, whether it’s NASA or the Pentagon,” Phil Larson, a former space policy advisor for the Obama administration, tells The Verge.
I’m honored and frankly enthusiastic about the role @POTUS has asked me to play in renewing our nation’s commitment to space. pic.twitter.com/deAukbZzh7
— Vice President Pence (@VP) June 30, 2017
The council’s resurrection has been in the works since the campaign, when one of Trump’s space advisor’s advocated for it. Pence confirmed in March he’d head the council, and a draft of the executive order to reinstate the group has been around since May, according to a report by Space News.