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Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org<\/p>\n
While NASA and the Defense Department have different objectives in space, the two agencies can collaborate more to avoid duplicative spending and take better advantage of mutually beneficial technology development, says NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman.<\/p>\n
Speaking to an audience of national security professionals Feb. 10, Isaacman emphasized the historic relationship<\/a> between the two agencies, which includes work on the rocket-powered X-15 in the 1960s, hitching rides on one another\u2019s rockets, and more recently, collaborating on advanced air mobility<\/a>. And while NASA\u2019s current push to return to the Moon through its Artemis program is focused on exploration, Isaacman noted the mission also has broader economic and national security implications<\/a>, which once again tie the agency to the Pentagon.\u00a0\t\t<\/p>\n \u201cNASA\u2019s mission and national security are inseparable,\u201d he said during the National Security Space Association\u2019s Defense and Intelligence Space Conference in Reston, Va. \u201cWe didn\u2019t go to the Moon alone in 1969 and we are not going at it alone now. Together, we will ensure American space capabilities are robust, secure, and awe inspiring to our adversary.\u201d<\/p>\n Speaking with reporters after his speech, Isaacman said the agencies share common interests and should look for ways to partner when it makes sense.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe partnerships are historic and have been since NASA has been established,\u201d he said. \u201c We obviously have very different missions, but there are ways to be smart about our resource allocation.\u201d<\/p>\n That could mean using a NASA-certified launch vehicle for defense applications or sharing technology developments in areas like navigation, communications, and nuclear propulsion.<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t need to have three bespoke initiatives underway,\u201d Isaacman said. \u201cThere\u2019s probably areas where we can collaborate for reactor design, power conversion, cooling and transport. \u2026 There are areas that I think collaboration is natural.\u201d\t\t<\/p>\n