[inaudible] theavid sawyer, his book is heart break at wounded knee. rick atkinson, also the british are coming and thomas malone, founding director for the center of intelligence discusses his book. >> vice president mike pence had a meeting earlier and it plans to send after not for corporations to a trip to mars.

it is an honor to welcome the national space counter to continue mapping the expiration. the council has insured our future achievements are fully empowered by the past achievement and the things he will be discussing today will one day be enshrined in this about and don't forget the hardware. last month in washington, the unveiling of new armstrongs follow 11 is a suit, vice president pence spoke about the commitment to american leadership here at the space museum.

we see evidence of that everyday. countless children have stood in this very spot and marveled at the space shuttle discovery and turned to their parents and grandparents and teachers. our museum is where the country comes to understand its heritage of adventure and to pass that torch onto new generations. we are at the dawn of a new space-age. americans who will make that flight were not alive to see our first step. we must recapture the energy, hope and reflection of our first who are for those called on now to repeat us. this summer, the -- the museum celebrated with the program we call go for the moon.

this was no ordinary .ommemoration almost 90 degrees at nine -- 9:00 in the morning and the real apollo 11 launched in florida. but despite the heat, half a million people came out to see our rocket on the national mall. on the night of the anniversary, rocket in a powerful the ground shook and the air glowed red. looking at the faces of the children in the crowd, you could tell they felt a connection to that moment in 1969 when for the first time in human history, the moon was within reach.

for the children who will stand on this spot and marvel of, the moon is again within their grasp. year, he called for an american on the moon in 1961 well before we knew to not -- he knew to not -- new how to make it happen. it will take that same commitment to meet the challenge to return to the moon and on to mars and we are grateful for their leadership and support as we work to educate and inspire a new induration of explorers. it is my great pleasure to welcome chair of the national space council and the vice president of the united states, mike pence.

>> thank you for that kind introduction and thank you for your tremendous stewardship and your tremendous leadership. thanking join me in her for her outstanding leadership? thell the members of national space council to our quietlyisory group, who

came on stage, i think they deserve a round of applause. would you join me in thanking them? [applause] host, all thes men and women here, it is a great honor to be with all of you today. take you for your patience and your attendance today and welcome to the sixth meeting of the national space council. it was three years ago that a candidate for president came alongside his new running mate and said to me, this thing called the national space council has laid dormant for more than 25 years and i was wondering if you would like to follow the tradition of past vice president and share the new

national space council and i said what i? isn in thanking a leader who committed to securing american leadership on earth and in the vast expanse of space, join the end welcoming president donald trump. his leadership has made a difference and you will hear about that today. it was nearly two years ago right here that we held the first meeting of the national space council, so we can think of no better place than two hold our six the meeting where we will reflect on the progress we have made and how our administration in the united states is on track to expand and renew american leadership in space. really, i can think of no better time to be here to celebrate the progress of our leadership

because it was one month ago when the world paid tribute to three extraordinary astronauts and the crew of apollo 11 andy thousands of men and women who stood behind them 50 years ago. it was one small step and one giant leap. what a great celebration it was, so many of you part of it not only in our nation's capital, but all across the country. i have to tell you, it was deeply hunting -- humbling to spend time with the men and women who made that possible. as we gather here today, we 47 yearst has been

since the last human walked on the moon. too long, america was focused on missions on the earth instead of aiming for the stars. i'm proud to report that all of we stand at the birth of a new millennium ready to unlock the mysteries of race and that is exactly what we are doing. [applause] it's true. after two and half years under the president leadership, america is leading in space once again. this president recognizes what the american people have known for more than half a century. that is, our security, our prosperity and our very way of life depend on american leadership and american leadership in space. we acknowledge low-earth orbit is not our final destination, rather it is a training ground for the infinite frontier space.

and i can assure you the american people are ready for the next chapter in our nation's history in space. so at the president's direction, we put an end to decades of budget to -- budget cuts and declines, and we renewed america's commitment that human space exploration vowing to go further into space, farther and faster than ever before. that's what in her first year in office president trump signed space policy directive one, making it the national policy of the united states of america to return to the moon and

prioritize crewed missions to the lunar surface. std one marked a watershed moment in america's space enterprise, and with it president finally gave nasa that clear direction and clear mission that it needed. as he said, we will return american astronauts to the moon for the first time since 1972. for long-term exploration to use not only to plant our flag and leave our footprint, but we will go there to establish a foundation for an eventual mission to mars. [applause] earlier this year president trump made it the policy of this administration to return to the moon by 2024, and ensure that the next man and the first woman on the moon will be american astronauts. [applause] the artemis mission has already begun. we are well on our way to making nasa's mission to mars a reality. you will hear more about that today. to get nasa ready for this mission, the president signed into law the agency's largest budget ever, and as we speak when working with congress to add an additional $1.6 billion to support our renewed commitment to human space exploration. the space launch system known as sls, the world's most powerful rocket will launch american astronauts toward the moon, will be fully assembled by the end of this year.

last month we marked the cancer -- the cap school complete on the orion capsule. it is the spacecraft that we all know will sit on top of the sls and it will carry the first crewed ship designed to deep space exploration in half a century. and just last week we announced the marshall space flight center in huntsville, alabama will lead development of our new lunar lander, and working with johnson space center in houston, texas, we will ensure that a new

generation of astronauts have a state-of-the-art vessel to reach the lunar surface safely and return by 2024. we are going to get it done. [applause] in fact, administrator bridenstine told me that with strong congressional support that we have got, we can actually start bending metal on the lander in the next year. whatever that means. [applause] i'm proud to report, also, we've empowered our commercial partners. in recent months, spacex successfully docked its automated crew dragon capsule at the international space station, blue origin tested engines for its own lunar lander, and boeing is working hard to launch its first crewed vehicle by the end of this year. and working with industry leaders, before the year is out, the united states will once again send american astronauts into space on american rockets from american soil! [applause]

vp pence: so we're making great progress, but we have new ambitions in this still-new century. america is not only going to return to the moon, but we're going to return there with new objectives. because unlike a half-century ago, this time our objective will be to establish a permanent presence on the lunar surface. and from there, we will develop the capabilities to journey to the red planet of mars. in order for us to take the next big leap toward the martian surface, you all here know that we have to demonstrate that we can live on the moon for months and even years. we have to learn how to make use of all available resources to sustain human life and all our activities in space, including by mining the vast quantities of life-sustaining water that's frozen in ice on our lunar poles. and once we return to the moon, we're going to develop the technologies to live and thrive in a multi-month expedition at its south pole.

using what we learn on the moon will bring us closer to the day, as the president said, that "american astronauts will plant the stars and stripes on the surface of mars." [applause] vp pence: in fact, within the last year, american technology touched down once again on martian soil. as all of the world witnessed, the insight mission touched down and marked our eighth successful landing on mars. and even now, the men and women of nasa are hard at work identifying those areas of the red planet that would be most suitable for human exploration. we're not only planning to go, we're preparing to go. and much like the apollo missions, when our space program relied on tools and methods that didn't exist when the mission was established, achieving our ambitious goals will depend on innovative technologies, including those that our panelists are going to talk about today.

but unlike during apollo, this time our efforts will not rely entirely on government action. instead, we will go forward into that bright future with the strong support of our private partners and international allies. already, nasa is working with industry leaders to develop plans for the lunar gateway, a critical outpost and refueling station that will help us develop the technologies, test the systems, and train the astronauts for the first-ever crewed journey to mars. our moon to mars mission is on track and america is leading in human space exploration again. don't you doubt it. [applause] as we'll also talk about today, under the president's leadership, we've also unleashed america's commercial space industry as never before. as the president said memorably not long ago, "rich guys love rockets."

[laughter] vp pence: and we've taken steps to make it possible for american entrepreneurs to invest and to help america develop the technologies that will carry american leadership into space. as secretary ross will no doubt reflect again today, we're streamlining the licensing regimes that oversee launch, re-entry, and new operations in space. we're removing unnecessary regulations that have increased costs and stifled innovation. all of that's happened over the last two and a half years. we've encouraged a more stable and orderly space environment by developing the world's first comprehensive space traffic management policy. and as we've restored confidence in the opportunities of space, we've helped drive incredible economic growth. just two years ago, the satellite industry alone generated some $350 billion in revenue, and studies predict that number will increase to more than a trillion dollars annually in the next two decades.

and more than ever, space is recognized as the industry of the future. in the first half of this year, we've seen almost as much invested in space companies as we did in the entire year before. in fact, in the last decade, more than $22 billion has been invested in nearly 500 different space companies. and i'm proud to say that the majority of those investments have been made in american space businesses. america is leading in public and private investment in space. [laughter] -- [applause] vp pence: but as we all know, as we lead in human space exploration, as we lead in american innovation and entrepreneurship in space, we also must lead in security. and for the sake of our security, both here on earth and in the heavens above, at president trump's direction we are working with congress as we speak to stand up a new branch of our armed forces. and soon, congress will approve

and the president will sign the sixth branch of the armed forces of the united states, the united states space force. [applause] vp pence: as the president has said, we all recognize -- and it's been, frankly, true for decades -- in his words, space is "a warfighting domain." and the united states space force will ensure that our nation is prepared to defend our people, to defend our interests, and to defend our values in the vast expanse of space and here on the earth with the technologies that will support our common defense from the vast reaches of outer space. next week, we will formally stand up the new unified combatant command that will be known as the united states space command. and i'm pleased to announce that we will recognize its new leader. four-star air force general john

raymond will be the first leader of the united states space command. thank you, general. [applause] vp pence: and before i move on from general raymond, let me mention another general who's here with us today, general joe dunford, who is chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. he has served this nation throughout his long career in uniform with extraordinary distinction. he has played a critical role in ensuring the national defense of the united states. and he will be concluding his duties as chairman of the joint chiefs of staff in the months ahead. and would you all mind getting on your feet and just showing how much we appreciate the extraordinary life and career and leadership of general joe dunford? [applause]

vp pence: thank you, general. thank you for your service. and thank you for your leadership, particularly on the matters pertaining american leadership in space. it is a historic contribution. and i know the president feels, as i do, that we would not be at this historic moment without your leadership and your support. later this morning, we're going to hear more about our administration's progress toward a new unified defense agreement to defend america's national security space assets and also ensure our collective defense. but for all that we've accomplished, the greatest triumphs of american leadership in space still lie ahead. and you'll hear about those plans today. the national space council today

will send new policy recommendations to the president that will help drive even greater cooperation between our government, our commercial partners, and like-minded nations across the world -- nations that share our values of democracy, freedom, and the rule of law. we will build on the success of the international space station by working with our friends and allies to support a moon landing , to develop sustainable, long-term lunar surface operations, and to build a spacecraft that will carry us to mars. we'll also continue to unleash the creative powers of america's commercial space enterprise. this council will recommend today steps that will encourage innovation and ensure that american companies have the level playing field they need to compete and win in space. and we'll continue to transform nasa into a leaner, more accountable, and more agile organization. isn't that right, jim? [laughter] >> yes, sir. vp pence: good.

we're going to make it easier than ever to recruit and retain the world's brightest scientists, engineers, and managers. and we're going to hit our goals and we're going to make new american history in space. you know, president trump tasked the national space council with reigniting and reinvigorating the american space program. and i'm humbled and proud, at the same time, to say that's exactly what this team has done. and that's what we're going to continue to do with the support of so many of you gathered here today. as president trump said, in his words, "it is america's destiny to be the leader amongst nations on our adventure into the great unknown." and that's why the national space council was reconstituted, and that's what brought us here today. and while the tasks before us involve hardship and hazard, sacrifice and perseverance, we know what the men and women of apollo 11 knew 50 years ago, and that is simply this, that americans can accomplish anything we set our minds to.

and america will lead the world back into the vast expanse of space. [applause] vp pence: so thank you all for being here today. we're grateful to the members of the national space council, our advisory group, all the experts and industry leaders who are joining us here today. and i look very much forward to our dialogue and our discussion. and the support that i see in this room, the support that i hear from not only people involved in the great space enterprise across this country, but from everyday americans from every walk of life, convinces me that we have only just begun to renew american leadership in space. so, thank you all. thank you all for your support. thank you for your presence here today. and let's get to work. [applause]

vp pence: how about a round of -- >> we are joined today at the houses center. let's give the smithsonian another round of applause, this is a spectacular place. fires the imagination of americans every day. in addition to all of the members of the mash-up -- national space council, we are joined by distinguished guests

in the audience. i want to thank each and everyone of you for being with us today. it's hard for me to look around this room and not recognized virtually everyone in every seat, and yet this is just a small sampling, isn't it, jim, of the incredible leadership of america's public and private space enterprise. give yourselves a round of applause. we are grateful you are here. [applause] vp pence: today's meeting of the national space council will provide updates from our council members on ongoing work to help secure american leadership in space. we are going to hear from scientists and industry leaders about innovations that will drive the next era of human space exploration. we are going to discuss a new set of recommendations as i mentioned in my formal remarks. to begin with i'd like to ask dr. mary lynne dittmar, who is president of the coalition for deep space exploration, to bring us some updates on our user advisory group activities at the last meeting in march.

mary lynne, we appreciate your extraordinary leadership and career. join me in thanking all of the user advisory group, many of which are here in the front row, for their contributions to the national space council. thank you, all. would you all standing up? user advisory group, take a bow. [applause] vp pence: great job. dr. dittmar, quick report on the user advisory group. dr. dittmar: mr. vice president, and distinguished members of the national space council, thank you for inviting me to provide an update on the activities of the users advisory group. as you all know, the objectives, scope of activities, and description of duties of the uag is defined as statute, executive order and the charter of the national space council users advisory group dated december 6, 2017 signed by the acting nasa administrator. while the unga is a ministry of the charter and supported under

nasa, the group functions exclusively in an independent advisory capacity to the national space council, reporting to you the national -- through the national space council executive secretary. mr. vice president, you have repeatedly challenged the uag to function as a think tank in addition to advisory role spelled out in its title. it is intended to be a conduit for new ideas. it also offers sometimes different but hopefully constructive commentary on conventional wisdom which we often note is sometimes too conventional and not nearly wise enough. organizationally the uag is divided into six subcommittees that reflect precisely the priorities that you and our chairman, retired james ellis, discussed prior to them for that its omission in the since a meeting in march. we reviewed the scope a specific task in which he gave us for this year. the exploration and discoveries subcommittee led by retired

general lester liles is structuring a one-time review of nasa's newly named artemis program, focusing on its architecture, textual -- technical planning, organizational structure and leadership. the fact that general liles also -- will ensure that the uag draws on the work of that nasa committee and offering independent advice to you. where appropriate. as you know, admiral ellis is chairman of the national security subcommittee and leads a very capable group with the required security clearances. this has been on the organizational structure and functionality of the emerging space force. as part of their review, they received a high level classified briefing from the department of defense and intelligence community on the process and progress of implementation planning in anticipation of pending congressional action. i and my colleague eric stormer, president of the commercial spaceflight federation, cochair of the economic development and industrial base subcommittee. as you directed we are first assessing how best to look at

space related spectrum issues including both process and content in this critical area. we are also considering additional recommendations for regulatory process reform to move beyond nasa and accelerating the lower orbit development and beyond. retired colonel federal astronaut commander pam malware leads the technology and innovation subcommittee. the committee is focused on assessing the status of the nasa space exploration roadmap specifying space technologies to be explored, alternatives to be compared and timelines that must be met. the results of that review will determine whether additional support to the subcommittee on national academy of sciences engineering and medicine is required. retired colonel collins space shuttle and commander chairs on outreach and education. i will see more about outreach in a minute. on the education and training side, her committee is committed to developing actionable recommendations to enhance space

related and engineering education at all levels. she has innovatively begun to draw speakers on stem from the national committee of state legislators and from universities with nasa involvement to gain a broader perspective on education and workforce issues. the final group is base policy and international space policy engagement subcommittee is led by dr. david wolf, astronaut, space walker, medical doctor, electrical engineer and your fellow hoosier. the committee will include guidelines, behavioral norms and technical standards affecting international space cooperation and deconfliction. we have followed the successful outcome of the 62nd session of the united nations on the peaceful uses of outer space and a planned a session with the department of state to ensure we understand the administration's space goals and objectives in the diplomatic arena. separately as the users advisory group to the national space council enters its second year, we are reviewing the charter for updating to better define the organizational structure, required resources and to streamline work processes.

we believe and know with discussions with you that you agree that an ongoing and active role of uag is important to the success of the administration's effort to marshall a whole of government strategy to u.s. space. finally as i noted earlier, mindful we were in panel to represent all users in space, members of the users advisors group have participated in major domestic and international space events, and many in conjunction with the wonderful nationwide celebration of the 50th anniversary of apollo 11. referenced earlier. we will continue to serve as the eyes and ears of your national space council, seeking input and ideas, issues and innovations, scientists and engineers, students and teachers, experienced aerospace veterans at all levels, and importantly, the up-and-coming new generation of space professionals.

mr. vice president, on behalf of the users advisors group and its chairman, admiral ellis, thank you for the update opportunity. wherever we go at home or abroad, with whomever we speak, we see a new energy, and new vitality in the space community. we appreciate the focus that you and the national space council have brought to our nation's role in space, and we look forward to continuing to support your efforts and to our shared contribution to the future of the nation's space enterprise. i would be pleased to take any questions. vp pence: great, thank you, dr. dittmar. and i don't see him through the bright lights, but admiral jim ellis is the chairman of user advisory group. i don't know if he's with us today, but you can give him a big round of applause as well. great work he did. [applause] vp pence: the admiral and the whole team are doing questions of the panel, user advisory group, anything to do with reports that were made and were give us an opportunity, ok. thank you, dr. dittmar, thanks all the members of user advisory group for outstanding, outstanding work.

now we move to some reports by members of the national space council. and i'm going to recognize our secretary of commerce, wilbur ross, who has been involved in working on space traffic management, regulatory reform and is almost as excited about american innovation in space as the president and me. so join me in thanking the secretary of commerce for his great leadership. [applause] sec. ross: thank you, vice president pence, for the opportunity to update the national space council on space activities at the department of commerce. last year there were 114 government and private space launches worldwide. the first time in three decades that that number exceeded 100.

u.s. had 31 launches, including a record number of commercial launches, but china had 39. more than 80 countries have now entered the space industry, often playing under different rules from what we have. these countries realize that space is a strategic industry that creates a highly technical workforce with spinoff technologies and economic growth. this was evident at the paris air show, which highlighted u.s. leadership, but also made clear the substantial efforts of foreign government-backed entities to surpass us. 75% of space industry revenues are now commercial. we intend to keep the united states as the flag of choice, as

the global space industry moves from $415 billion of revenues to $1 trillion within the next 20 years. commerce department is actively pursuing the space traffic management goals outlined in space policy directive three. our strong partnership with the department of defense will modernize space situational awareness capabilities. mark daily, a senior executive with experience in both defense and space commerce, leads the commerce department's ssa landing team at the 18 space control squadron at vandenberg air force base. our joint ssa efforts will help avoid the destructive impact of space debris.

even as space activities grow more complex and global in nature. in response to our april 2019 rfi, more than 50 academic and industry partners submitted creative ideas to limit the creation of new space debris. through satellite design, improved ssa, and early mission deorbit. the commerce department role is critically important, given the plans of commercial industry to launch thousands of mass produced satellites in constellation. commerce is developing an open architecture data repository for space debris information. this will allow us to provide conjunction notifications to the

u.s. and global commercial space industries in the near future. the new repository will incorporate private sector innovations to track and avoid space debris, and that in turn will facilitate new commercial space services. under space policy directive two, to eliminate or extreme line regulations, we are revising remote-sensing and export control rule. we have received extensive feedback from u.s. companies in the fast developing and extremely competitive global market for remote sensing. our immediate goal is a new draft rule that encourages domestic innovation while ensuring global competitiveness

and market leadership of american companies. commerce is working with the state department and other agencies to review public comments on our march proposed rule so that we can issue a final rule this fall. at an industry date i hosted in april, we discussed the need to maintain export controls with some countries while streamlining them for others. within the commerce department, we have reestablished the office of space commerce that had been dormant for decades. it is the only u.s. government entity charged with pursuing the unique interests of the commercial space industry. the commercial industry has said repeatedly that it needs an advocate, a one-stop shop in its

dealings with both u.s. government and foreign governments. so we continue to work within the administration and with congress to establish a bureau of space commerce that will give commerce the resources needed to execute the space council's directives. thank you, mr. vice president. i look forward to our discussion. vp pence: well, thank you very much, mr. secretary. you can give the secretary of commerce a round of applause. [applause] vp pence: wilbur, thank you. thank you so much for your tremendous efforts, and i want to offer my congratulations. you mentioned the work in april, but the space enterprise summit at the department of commerce cohosted in june. i think you have also spoken about. and i hope that our private industry partners see the

tremendous commitment by the president and our department of commerce to enlivening, enlivening private investment and development. i'll ask members of the panel to throw a question at the secretary, but quick question. the new commercial remote-sensing regulations are being developed at commerce. can you speak about when those will be completed or amplify the points you made? sec. ross: yes. we think by the end of october we should have that work completed. vp pence: ok. outstanding. any other questions from members of the panel for the secretary of commerce? ok. we're very grateful, wilbur. thank you so very much in all of -- and all of your remarks will be included in the record as prepared. next, i'd like to recognize the administrator of nasa, jim bridenstine, who has become a great friend of mine. he is a great champion for

american leadership in space. he is -- he was given a charge by the president of the united states to return americans to the moon by 2024 and make sure the first astronauts on mars are americans. and jim, i know i speak on behalf of the president when i appreciate the energy you have brought to this effort. we should not be terribly surprised that a navy f-18 pilot was ready to move out and move out quickly, but join me in thanking the administrator of nasa for his tremendous efforts, and jim, look forward to your report. [applause] mr. bridenstine: thank you so much, mr. vice president. it is an honor to serve in this position. just yesterday i was at the white house, briefing members of the national security council on our plans to go to the moon and on to mars.

and while i was there, victoria coates brought in a box of m&ms. and i said -- and by the way, these are not just -- these are president trump m&ms. not just any m&ms. and i said now, what is it all about? she said m and m, moon and mars. [laughter] idenstine: she said make sure you show this to everybody because we are going to the moon because are going to mars. the president has been very clear. we will put an american flag on mars. so mr. vice president, you can have the m&m's. a couple of things that think are important to note. sir, since you so i guess importantly gave us that charge back in march, a number things have changed. and i'll just kind of go through one at a time. as you mentioned earlier today, low-earth orbit. that is a great opportunity for us to figure out how to do things commercially. we have commercial crew on the brink of being ready.

we have commercial resupply already resupplying the international space station. and recently we announced that we have some objectives to achieve a more commercial nature in low-earth orbit, starting with creating both the demand side and the supply-side. so on the demand side we are looking at two lines of efforts that we believe could have major breakthroughs for basically activities in low-earth orbit, starting with industrialized biomedicine and then advanced materials. those two lines of effort, if we can do experiment after experiment, iterating one after another, i believe in the next three to seven years, we can have a strong breakthrough that will result in demand for access to low-earth orbit. now, that's going to take an effort and a change of philosophy on how we utilize the international space station. it is also true, mr. vice president, that just a few short months ago we announced that we are doing things to increase supply of activities in

low-earth orbit. we're going to make available commercial crew seats for industry so that they can take space, whether it's researchers or manufactures or even tourists, to the international space station. we also want to make the international space station itself available for more people, so we're looking at additional habitation, using the port for commercial operations on the international space station. and each of these activities will increase supply, while at the same time working really hard to generate demand with an eventual effort, and of course, we've got procurements underway that we are interested in seeing what industry can provide. but we want to have free flyers in low-earth orbit that are commercial in nature. these are things we are striving to in low-earth orbit. remember why we're commercializing. i think this is important for everybody on the national space council.

why are we commercializing? because we want to use the resources that the taxpayers give to us to go to the moon, following space policy directive one, to go sustainably, to go with commercial partners and international partners, to utilize the resources on the moon, the water ice, mr. vice president, you talked about on the south pole. use that as life-support. how do we live for months on another planetary body so that ultimately we can take all of that knowledge on to mars? what we do in low-earth orbit matters because we want to go to the moon and on to mars. and interestingly, just last week, i was at the assembly facility in new orleans, and i know, mr. vice president, you have been keenly focused on the sls rocket. and i will tell you what i saw there was eye watering. we say the words that it is four-fifths complete. i would say it is well over 90% complete. the engine section was the long pole and the tent, it was on the critical path.

we removed the engine section from the critical path that we integrated the rest of the rocket horizontally. it is a beautiful thing to see in the horizontal, and this week and next week will be integrating the engine section into the rest of the rocket, and by the end of this year, as you correctly said earlier, we're going to move that rocket out of the factory, and we are going to test it. and i will tell you -- yes. [applause] mr. bridenstine: so these are -- it was exciting to see that, and i will tell you, mr. vice president, not just the first sls, but the hardware for the second sls is already being put into place and will start to be assembled very soon as well. so very exciting times down at the assembly facility, and as you were there just last month, mr. vice president, when you announced the orion crew capsule complete with the european service module, we are very close to shipping that up to plum brook station where it will be tested, thermal vacuum

testing as well as emi testing. all of those very exciting activities are underway. we also, since the last national space council, we have gone under contract for the first element of the gateway, the power and proportional element, solar electric propulsion for that reusable command module in and around the moon for the next 15 years, so that is a great development. and by the way, the reason that was able to go so fast, mr. vice president, is because of the charge to be ready by 2024, to land not just the next man but also the first woman on the south pole of the moon. that charge is really what changed the dynamic to make that go so fast, that acquisition element. on that gateway we are moving as fast as we can, rapid acquisition is what we call a minihab, just a small habitation module attached to the propulsion. it is not the long-term solution

but that is what will help get our astronauts on the orion into a lander and land on the surface of the moon. we not last week we announced that that land on talking about is going to be managed out of the marshall space flight center. and it is absolutely true, mr. vice president, the johnson space center is going to be very involved in that. certainly when it comes to environmental control and life-support systems, there is no place on the planet better than the johnson space center when it comes to human to machine interface, no place better than johnson as well. and, of course, when it comes to mission planning, the astronaut office, a lot of capability, both at marshall and at johnson, to get this national project underway. and as you are aware, mr. vice president, in the last month since the last march national space council we also named the program artemis. i think that is a significant milestone. it was you who wrote the speech yourself, and i was there when you did it, and you said were -- we are going to put the first woman on the moon.

i will tell you, that has energized so many people, my daughter included, she is 11 years old. she claims she wants to be a teacher right now, but she is certainly excited about landing a woman on the moon. i like to say, it's, you know, 50 years ago we had apollo, and it just so happens that in greek mythology, apollo had a twin sister. her name was artemis. she was the goddess of the moon. this time when we go to the moon, we go with a very diverse highly qualified core of astronauts that includes women and it is long overdue. so we're very excited about this. [applause] mr. bridenstine: and then lastly i think it is important to remember the moon to mars. when we think about what we are doing next, the reason that gateway is so important is that it is absolutely a gateway to the surface of the moon, and we want to do long durations on the

surface of the moon using the gateway. it is also evolvable. it is an opportunity for us to take humans deeper into space than we have ever gone before, in human history, and in fact, that is our ship to get to mars. and by the way, if we have the right investments today with advanced propulsion -- i know we are going to hear maybe little bit about nuclear thermal propulsion -- advanced propulsion and the ability to do entry dissent and landing with 20 metric ton payloads into the martian atmosphere and onto the martian surface. these are investments that are not much more than what we are already spending. we can put together a really robust mars plan in keeping with the direction to put an american flag on mars. so mr. vice president, things have changed since march, and we're moving rapidly under your direction and the direction of president trump. thank you. [applause]

vp pence: great job. great job. thank you very much, jim. thanks for the great report, and mostly thanks for your energetic and enthusiastic leadership of the president's vision for space. and i'm going to take this box of m&ms back to the president right after you sign it. he'll know even better today that you got the message. it's m and m. that's worth remembering. dr. calvin droegemeier is the director of the office of science and technology, and the minister just mentioned our efforts to update the approval process for launching space nuclear power sources. and dr. droegemeier has a report

for us on that. give us some words on progress. thank you, doctor. dr. droegemeier: thank you, mr. vice president. it's a pleasure and honor to be here with you today. as we more of that new generation of space missions that you so eloquently described in your remarks and as administrator jim bridenstine has said, this time we go to stay. the challenge is achieving a a persistent human presence in space and on other worlds. that is, staying there will require the development and application of wide range of advanced technologies including lightweight and long-lasting energy sources that can support human life and expiration -- exploration activities in the most austere and inhospitable environments. now over many decades as we will hear from others, nasa has relied on systems on mars, the endures solar system and other locations where alternative power sources have been inadequate. some of these environments are far too dark for solar power, or they're too far away to carry sufficient supplies of chemical fuels. in the dawning new era of american space exploration we just heard about expiration into

-- exploration into deep space, nuclear powered sources will remain critical to the fullest realization of our scientific and exploration objectives. for modest power we need isotopic thermal generators which are essentially nuclear batteries, can use energy of radioactive decay to generate electricity for even decades. but for higher power needs, small nuclear reactors provide heating and electricity and also spacecraft propulsion needs. so as we look forward and we also look outward, we must ensure that america can safely develop nuclear space systems and enhance our ability for space exploration, our operational capabilities and also the potential for increased commercial space activities as administrator bridenstine just mentioned. over a year ago the office of science and technology policy began reviewing existing nuclear space launch policy, and as i reported at this counsel's march meeting in huntsville, that led to the creation of an interagency working group cochaired by ostp and our colleagues at the national space

council. that working groups mandate was to develop recommendations for the space council to establish updated and risk informed processes for launching space nuclear systems that are funded or licensed by the federal government. our primary objective is to ensure rigorous and effective nuclear, safety analysis and review are conducted prior to the launch of any space nuclear system. to get into that want to leverage past experience wherever we can. to that end we much provide clear guidelines to a mission planners on launch approval authority to ensure launch safety is maintained. we also want to ensure a positive response, a positive safety analysis and launch authorization process that is forward-looking. we think about the future that allows the federal government as we just heard, the private sector to effectively use space nuclear systems as we return to the moon and we venture far beyond. finally, we seek to strengthen

the existing process for launching space nuclear systems in ways that will better ensure rigorous risk informed safety assessment without excessive redundancy or wasted time and cost. so at the council's urging since last march we have continued these review activities, mr. vice president, in close cooperation with the national security council. we have now finalized a set of recommendations we believe meet the objective i just outlined. we asked the council approve these recommendations for updating the existing process to launch a spacecraft containing space nuclear systems. toclosing, i would like reiterate a point i made at our last meeting, and namely that ensuring a rigorous launch safety process is essential to using space nuclear systems, but we can't stop there. we must not stop there. moving forward must also focus on ensuring that we sustain the skills here in america and we also develop the technologies needed to provide space nuclear systems that are ready to propel as well as power future american spacecraft. i look forward to working with all of you in implementing this and other policy initiatives

that will be necessary for sustaining and strengthening american leadership in space. thank you very much, mr. vice president, for your leadership and for your support. thank you, sir. [applause] vp pence: we're going to move on to national security issues in a moment. i'm going to ask other members of the panel to submit your reports in writing, with one exception. steven bradbury is the general counsel to the department of transportation, and the president and i couldn't be more grateful to secretary elaine chao for the energetic efforts that dot has made to update regulations regarding space launch, and with our commitment that invigorating and continuing to see the private space enterprise develop. i wanted to recognize steven

bradbury for a quick update on department of transportation activities. steven. mr. bradbury: thank you, mr. vice president, members of the space council and distinguished guests. on behalf of secretary chao, i'm pleased to update the council of the department of transportation efforts to streamline the licensing of commercial space launches and re-entries, and on d.o.t.'s activities regarding satellite-based navigation. first, on april 15 of this year, in accordance with the president's space policy directive two, the department of transportation with the faa published a notice of proposed rulemaking for a major streamlining of faa's commercial space launch and reentry regulations. this proposal represents a great deal of work by many people at the faa and in the office of secretary. and it was produced in near record time. it was developed with input from experts in the faa, the commercial space industry, and other departments and agencies across the federal government.

consistent with the president's instructions, the proposed rule would replace outdated prescriptive requirements with more flexible performance-based criteria. it would allow us to license different types of commercial space operations and vehicles to a single streamlined set of procedures. and it would dramatically reduce the size and complexity of the faa's commercial space licensing regulations. dot has received comments on the rule from dozens of individuals including 15 submissions asking more than 100 clarifying questions. which the faa has endeavored to address in the public rulemaking record. it's obvious the proposed rule has generated a lot of interest and a lot of questions. to allow for greater input, the department extended the public comment to 126 days and just closed yesterday, august 19.

also in response to industry requests for face to face input, the faa held a series of meetings with individual commercial space operators and their representatives. faa honored all requests and met with representatives from blue origin, spacex, virgin galactic, virgin orbit, boeing, lockheed martin, united launch alliance, and the coalition for deep space exploration. dot published a synopsis in the sessions in the public docket. the faa's digesting the comments and information we received and will be hard at work over the coming months to address concerns and consider potential revisions to improve the final rule. we are committed to achieving a licensing framework that enables flexibility and innovation in operations, including where appropriate by relying on advisory circulars and on methods of compliance developed

by operators in lieu of prescriptive rules. our goal is to publish a final rule by early fall of next year. we are confident this rulemaking will bolster america's base and leadership in the commercial space sector through a smarter, more efficient licensing process, one that lowers the burden and cost of regulatory compliance while ensuring protection of life, property, and national security. now let me turn briefly to satellite-based navigation. under national security presidential directive 39, issued in december 2004, the united states is committed to developing, maintaining, and modernizing the global positioning system, or gps, and other satellite-based navigation systems, including backup capabilities in the event of a disruption to gps. a recent study funded by the department of commerce found that gps has enabled more than $1.4 trillion in economic benefits since 1983, and that a 30-day loss of gps could cause

$30 billion in economic harm and have serious safety of life implications. spd 39 gives dot lead responsibility over the full range of civil uses of gps, and along with dot it makes dot cochair of the national space base position navigation and timing executive committee. through this, we're working closely with dhs and other federal departments and agencies to address policy and technical issues, including the security of resilience of gps receivers. in light of the critical importance of gps, dot has asked for submissions from technology vendors, interest in providing gps backup technologies, and we are now organizing field demonstrations of those technologies. another way to protect gps service is real-time monitoring of satellite signals to ensure they meet the necessary performance standards, and we are providing funding to the air

force to support that monitoring. and working closely with the commerce department, ntia and the fcc, dot conducted a gps adjacent band study to measure levels of tolerance and interference from adjacent band radiofrequency systems. the study results show we need strong, consistent policies to ensure rf protection for satellite-based navigation. let me close by emphasizing that for the secretary and all of us at the department of transportation, our participation in supporting the objectives of national space council is among our highest priorities. by coordinated the efforts of -- coordinating the efforts of all the members of the space council, we can achieve tremendous benefits for the american people and our national economy. thank you. mr. pence: great, thank you very much. [applause] vp pence: great report. give the secretary our best. great. and i can attest to the secretary's enthusiasm, and we are very, very grateful for the

efforts. one last time before we go to national security. we actually asked the deputy secretary of energy to be here. the department of energy is actually not a part of the national space council but is doing so much important work in the space. we wanted, we wanted secretary perry and your team to be represented here, so to the deputy secretary, dan, maybe you could summarize your testimony, and then we will move international security. give a round of applause for the department of energy. they have really been leaning in on this. thank you, dan. [applause] >> thank you, mr. vice president, for the invitation to share a few thoughts with the space council. it's a personal honor for me to be here with such a distinguished group of individuals who are continuing to work on america's resurgence on the next great frontier. because this is my first participation with one of your meetings, i will keep my

comments at a high level. i provided with each of you a summit with the department's historical contribution to the space program. i want to be clear, mr. vice president, that the department sees space as a very important and strategic focus for our department. d.o.e. is your partner in innovation, in exploration, and in excellence. our predecessor organization of the atomic energy commission was a key collaborator during the apollo missions, and we are eager to join you in returning americans to the moon, establishing a permanent base there, and then developing the technologies that are needed to send us to mars and far beyond. secretary perry likes to say that given the breadth of our efforts, d.o.e. stands for the department of everything. and there's a lot of truth to that. there's no question. d.o.e.'s 17 national laboratories discovered dark energy. we helped kickstart the development of the world wide web, accelerated america's ongoing energy revolution and for today'co