On Monday, January 20, 2025, Donald Trump will take office at the White House as the 47th President of the United States of America (USA). What kind of policies Trump, who will serve as the President of the United States for the second time, will pursue is among the subjects that have been frequently discussed and predicted in recent days. Trump draws the profile of a leader who always manages to keep the spotlight on him with both his rhetoric and his actions. In this context, giving Elon Musk a place in the administration has once again been one of Trump’s noteworthy actions. In the new US administration, Musk will head the Ministry of Productivity together with Vivek Ramaswamy, another American entrepreneur.[1]
Since Elon Musk, the owner of SpaceX, is an entrepreneur who attracts attention when it comes to space studies, it is a matter of curiosity how Musk will affect the US space studies under the Trump administration. Indeed, Musk is expected to have an impact on the US space policy both in terms of domestic and foreign policy.
Firstly, Elon Musk could pave the way for an active policy in the advancement of programs for the Moon and Mars within the framework of national space studies. Between 2017 and 2021, when he was the President of the United States, Trump showed an inclination towards Moon and Mars studies. The manned return to the Moon and the sending of the Perseverance Spacecraft to the Jezero crater in 2020 to continue exploration on Mars is a manifestation of the importance Trump attaches to space exploration. Similar to Trump, Musk is aware of the importance of access to the Moon and especially Mars, and is taking steps to develop spacecraft to realize these goals. Considering all these, it can be said that Trump and Musk are likely to form an effective alliance for the US to make breakthroughs in the field of space.
Another issue that Musk is expected to influence is government contracting. Elon Musk argues that government contracts do not incentivize projects to be completed on time and on budget.[2] According to Musk, government contracts do not sanction firms to face sufficient financial risk or penalties if they do not meet the timeframes or budget set for a project, resulting in cost increases and delays in the realization of space industry projects. It is therefore likely that Musk will propose to transform government contracts into a more innovative, waste-reducing and performance-based model.
Secondly, when we look at foreign policy after domestic politics within the framework of space studies, it can be said that the competition with China, which is rising in the field of space, will be revitalized during the Trump era. As it is well known, Donald Trump tends to carry out efforts to weaken the growth of China. As it will be recalled from Trump’s first presidential term, relations between the US and China were strained and escalated into a trade war in 2018. Keeping Trump’s attitude towards China in mind and considering China’s moves in space exploration in recent years, the US can be expected to push China by making breakthroughs in the field of space. China’s achievements in space have the potential to pose a threat to the US leadership in the coming years. Therefore, the Trump administration’s strategy to compete with China aims to maintain and improve the US leadership in space. Subsequently, the appointment of Elon Musk, a world-renowned leader in the space sector, to the cabinet makes a more meaningful decision. Elon Musk’s SpaceX holds the opportunity to consolidate the strategic superiority of the US in areas such as low-cost launch technologies, manned space flights, travel to Mars and space-based communications. Musk’s vision and technological innovations could help the US gain a stronger position against China in the global space competition.
[1] Daniel Trotta and Eric Beech, “Trump Names Elon Musk to Lead Government Efficiency Drive”, https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-says-elon-musk-vivek-ramaswamy-will-lead-department-government-efficiency-2024-11-13/, (Access Date: 06.01.2025).
[2] Lily Jamali, “What Elon Musk Could Gain from Trump’s Presidency”, https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjdl22yrrk2o, (Access Date: 06.01.2025).
