Revitalizing Human Space Exploration, and a Self-Assembling Space Architecture

The first look at the NASA budget, and a self-assembling space architecture. Here are some of the top stories from The Journal of Space Commerce this week.

The FY26 federal budget proposed by the Trump administration would accelerate NASA's human space exploration of the Moon and Mars with what the administration calls a fiscally responsible portfolio of missions.

The Budget refocuses NASA funding on beating China back to the Moon and on putting the first human on Mars ... allocating over $7 billion for lunar exploration and introducing $1 billion in new investments for Mars-focused programs. To achieve these objectives, the Budget would streamline the NASA workforce, information technology services, NASA Center operations, facility maintenance, and construction and environmental compliance activities. The Budget also terminates multiple unaffordable missions and reduces lower priority research, resulting in a leaner Science program that reflects a commitment to fiscal responsibility.

NASA says it will coordinate closely with its partners to execute these priorities and investments as efficiently and effectively as possible.

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The latest Novaspace market intelligence report, Prospects for Space Exploration, provides a detailed outlook on government and commercial space initiatives through 2034.

The report finds that global government investment in space exploration totaled $27 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow to nearly $31 billion by 2034. Lunar exploration will lead this expansion, with funding expected to rise from $12 billion to $15 billion, while Mars exploration is projected to grow at an 11% annual rate, fueled by upcoming sample-return missions.

The report forecasts nearly 330 lunar missions between 2025 and 2034, driven by a mix of government programs and private sector ventures. A substantial share of these missions is expected to fall under NASA’s Artemis program, reflecting a growing global ambition for sustained lunar presence and infrastructure.

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The House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology (Committee on Energy and Commerce) held a hearing recently titled "Global Networks at Risk: Securing the Future of Communications Infrastructure".

The committee recognized that satellites play a critical role in civilian and military communications. With that in mind, one of the witnesses invited to provide testimony at the hearing was Tom Stroup, president of the Satellite Industry Association.

Stroup told Ex Terra Media that satellite operators are well aware of the challenges of security in space, and have processes in place to assure the safety of spacecraft and fidelity of data.

"Many of the members of our industry provide dual-use services. So they are offering service not only to the commercial sector but also to the U.S. Government including the military. That makes the subject to attacks that we may not otherwise be subject to. But as a result of that, the industry has taken steps to minimize the impact. And one of the things I really sought to emphasize was the resilience based on the multiple, diverse delivery paths that we have," Stroup said. "And by that, I mean that most satellite operators have multiple satellites, whether they're geo-stationary or non-geo-stationary systems. And there's an opportunity to switch (between) satellites. And a number of companies deploy multi-orbit capabilities. So if there is an impact on a satellite there's an opportunity to switch to a different orbit. And one of the things that is provided as a result of this is not just the multi-orbit