What’s in this episode
President-elect Donald Trump is just hours away from taking the oath of office, becoming the 47th President of the United States, and returning to the White House for a second, but non-consecutive term. Trump’s pick for Secretary of the Air Force is seen as signaling his intent to reinforce his legacy and boost the value, and likely the budget, of the U.S. Space Force, which he established in his first term.
Trump has moved the inaugural ceremony and address out of the freezing cold and into the Capitol’s Rotunda. The weather forecast is for partly cloudy skies, and a high of 24°F, or -4.5°C. The parade down Pennsylvania Avenue, has also been moved indoors to the Capitol One Arena, a sports venue, where his supporters have been urged to gather, watch the ceremony, and wait for Trump to make an appearance before heading to the White House.
Trump’s transition team has told numerous news outlets that once he is in the Oval Office, he intends on signing 100 executive orders before the day is done. These orders are expected to cover immigration and border security, trade, and energy policies, to name a few. But it is his pick for Secretary of the Air Force, Troy Meink, that could have the most profound effect on U.S. power projection in the space domain.
If confirmed by the Senate, Meink will not only oversee the U.S. Air Force, but also the Space Force, which is organized under the Department of the Air Force. For more than two decades, Meink has held positions related to the development, acquisition, and fielding of military and intelligence space systems.
Meink is an engineer and has been the Principal Deputy Director of the National Reconnaissance Office since 2020. According to his resumé, he has also held the positions of Deputy Undersecretary of the Air Force for Space, and Assistant Director of National Intelligence for Systems and Resource Analyses at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
So what will Meink need from the incoming Trump administration and Congress to succeed? It is going to have to be more than executive orders in what is shaping up to be a fiscally constrained start.
The federal government is only funded and open because of a continuing resolution that ends on March 14. Janet Yellen, the outgoing Treasury Secretary, has said her department will start “extraordinary measures” on Tuesday, January 21, to prevent the nation from defaulting on its debt.
Who’s in this episode
Todd Harrison - Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute, and much respected NASA and Defense Department budget diviner
Sarah Mineiro - Founder & CEO, Tanagra Enterprises; Senior Associate, Aerospace Security Project, Center for Strategic and International Studies, self-described “Hill Rat”
Some interesting reading
No one should be surprised, but it’s still great to see the Space Force represented. I have to admit that while I watched President Jimmy Carter’s state funeral, I was scanning the screen for Space Force uniforms and colors. Air & Space Forces Magazine’s Greg Hadley has the details in his piece, “Space Force Honor Guard Faces Milestones with ‘Two of the Largest Ceremonies Possible’”.
Look up! Venus, Saturn, Jupiter and Mars are all close enough to see with the naked eye. NPR’s Juliana Kim gives all the details in “A planet parade of Venus, Saturn, Jupiter and Mars shines in the skies this month”.
Important launches and tests
January 15 - Firefly and ispace launched lunar landers aboard a SpaceX Dragon - Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, “Two lunar landers are on the way to the Moon after SpaceX’s double moonshot”.
January 16 - Blue Origin held its first test of the reusable New Glenn Rocket launch system. The New Glenn is seen as a possible competitor to SpaceX’s Dragon. - Brett Tingley and Josh Dinner, Space.com, “Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin launches massive New Glenn rocket into orbit on 1st flight”.
January 16 - In a test flight, the SpaceX Super Heavy Starship exploded. The Federal Aviation Administration has ordered an investigation. - Mike Wall, Space.com, “FAA requiring investigation into SpaceX Starship's Flight 7 explosion”.
January 16 - The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) conducted its first ever space docking, making India the fourth nation to accomplish this technological feat. - Nivedita Bhattacharjee, Reuters, “India achieves milestone as fourth nation to succeed in space docking“.
Have a great week!
Ad Astra!
Laura
