NASA / AP
The Trump White House is considering a bold new push for privatization to revitalize the space industry, according to internal documents obtained by Politico.
The plan: Pit "Old Space" (NASA, Boeing, Lockheed) versus "New Space" (SpaceX, Blue Origin).
The vision for 2020: From the administration's action plan: "Private American astronauts, on private space ships, circling the Moon…private lunar landers staking out de facto 'property rights' for Americans on the Moon."
Old Space's turf: Deep space exploration (think: a manned mission to Mars or the Voyager program) would become the government's key mission.
New Space's turf: Low-Earth orbit, where more "mature" technologies, like space tourism or privatized space stations, could be leveraged. The administration's action plan calls it "the biggest and most public privatization effort America has ever conducted."
Of course, the road to Mars is paved with good intentions…