Main Engine Cut OffBridenstine’s Comments on the Moon
Marcia Smith of SpacePolicyOnline.com:
Bridenstine’s remarks tonight went further, branching out into threats posed by China, a country that understands “the geopolitical value of space operations.” The possibility that the “highly valuable platinum group of metals are much more available on the moon from astroblemes than they are on earth” could explain China’s interest in the Moon, he said. “Such a discovery with cis-lunar transportation capabilities ... could profoundly alter the economic and geopolitical balance of power on Earth.”
To “enable freedom of action, the United States must have cis-lunar situational awareness, a cis-lunar presence, and eventually must be able to enforce the law through cis-lunar power projection. Cis-lunar development will either take the form of American values with the rule of law and private property rights, or it will take the form of totalitarian state control. The United States can decide who leads.”
This is very relevant to this week’s episode. It’s becoming increasingly obvious that the Moon has much more political capital than Mars, and I would not at all be surprised to see a focus on the Moon over the course of the next administration.