Space policy was a rare example of an area in which President Joe Biden shared his predecessor's outlook, Donald Trump, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said recently.

At a March 30 White House press briefing, it was noted that Biden was continuing three of Trump's initiatives – the U.S. Space Force, the revival of the National Space Council, and NASA's Artemis program, which was aiming to put the first woman and a man on the moon by 2024. Psaki was asked whether space policy was an area where the Biden administration found itself in rare agreement with Trump.

Psaki replied, "I think that - that sounds accurate to me." A transcript of the entire press briefing can be found at whitehouse.gov/briefing-room.

US Space Force

Writing in TheConversation.com, Professor Wendy Whitman Cobb, of the U.S. Air Force School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, complained that most people did not take the new military branch seriously. “Modern pop culture depictions of the Space Force as a joke are distracting from the serious responsibilities the USSF is taking on,” she said in an article that was republished by Astronomy magazine.

She said the public's idea of the Space Force was heavily influenced by science fiction, which actually had hardly anything to do with the new branch of the military. More information can be found at spaceforce.mil.

National Space Council

At the press briefing, Psaki said the National Space Council was something that Biden was "excited to keep in place." She said Biden felt the council offered "an opportunity to generate National Space Policy strategies" and "synchronize on America’s space activities at a time of unprecedented activity."

The council has a website space.commerce.gov.

The U.S. Department of Commerce maintains the site. A statement on the site explains that, although the Commerce Secretary is a member of the council, the council itself is not part of the Department of Commerce.

Biden's decision to continue maintaining the council was welcomed by the Coalition for Deep Space Exploration, an organization of businesses and universities.

In a Tweet, the organization claimed space was "a crucial priority" for America. It added, "Sustained coordination across multiple federal agencies through the National Space Council will ensure the United States can effectively address existing and emerging issues in space."

NASA’s Artemis program

NASA's Artemis program aims to have the U.S. return to the moon. A statement on the program's webpage explains that a woman and a man, as well as plenty of advanced technology, are expected to land on the moon by 2024.
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