Dear Readers,

2025, A New Year for Aerospace Management

For many focused on the American aerospace industry, expectations for the New Year’s Space Program may be coupled to the direction President-elect Donald Trump provides. Previously, the President-elect had nominated entrepreneur and commercial astronaut Jared Isaacman, to serve as NASA Administrator. According to sources familiar with the five people on the transition team, the last six weeks have been spent on assessing the space program and its exploration plan. Isaacman had not been involved in the transition team discussions. The transition team has been discussing possible elements of an executive order or other policy directives, that included [1]:
• Establishing the goal of sending humans to the Moon and Mars, by 2028.
• Canceling the costly Space Launch System rocket and possibly the Orion spacecraft.
• Consolidating Goddard Space Flight Center and Ames Research Center at Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama.
• Retaining a small administration presence in Washington DC, but otherwise moving headquarters to a field center.
• Rapidly redesigning the ARTEMIS lunar program to make it more efficient.
Substantive details will need to be worked through the White House Office of Management and Budget, and negotiated with US Congress which funds NASA.

During the Deutsche Bank Global Space Summit, the sentiment expressed more investment in the space market, likely. Yet, mention was also made that President-elect Trump’s reelection indicated ”more clarity around budgets and long-term budgets for space-related companies.” In the recent past, multiple European efforts have helped a shortfall in space capital relative to that of US; and, they have tended to focus on early-stage companies. Carl Sjolund, a partner at Swedish private equity firm EQT, had a more tempered view on a potential uptick in space investments, pointing to how defense investments were already soaring amid rising geopolitical tensions following Russia’s war in Ukraine [2].” Whatever the case, 2025 portends to be a Year of Aerospace Management.

Happy New Year, 2025.

Sincerely,
Ronald H. Freeman, PhD
Editor-in-Chief
January 1, 2025