Spacefaring Institute? LLC

This is the second edition of the Spacefaring Institute's newsletter "U.S. Astrologistics". This edition focuses on what astrologistics capabilities are needed to enable American businesses to expand into the Earth-Moon system, to enable safe and robust commercial human spacefaring operations, and how the Federal Government can and why it should take the lead in building these astrologistics capabilities.

I would like your thoughts on what, in your opinion, is America's #1 issue/problem/constraint preventing America from becoming a true human spacefaring nation. A single sentence will do or even just a key few words. Please, no criticism of others. The purpose is not to debate someone else's opinion. What does America need to do/fix/change to be able to safely and robustly get on the path to becoming a true human spacefaring nation? Mike Snead

This is the first edition of the Spacefaring Institute's newsletter "U.S. Astrologistics". This edition focuses on the use of the unmanned cargo version of the Space Launch System to begin to build America's much needed permanent LEO astrologistics capabilities.

Beginning newsletters to followers. For the past several months I have been working to boost the number of followers of the Spacefaring Institute page to reach the threshold needed to begin to publish a newsletter. With your very kind support, we have reached that goal. Later today I will begin to publish the first Spacefaring Institute newsletter. The tentative title is U.S. Astrologistics. As the name implies, this newsletter will focus on undertaking the foundational space logistics (astrologistics) needed for America to become a true human spacefaring nation. Each newsletter will be topic-focused, as the name implies. This will provide an organized record of discussions related to that topic. As a follower, you will receive a push notification when a newsletter is published. Also, it appears that you will be sent an email notification. (I don't know yet if this email notification can be declined should you not wish to receive emails.) I expect that my newsletter publication frequency will be about once per week per topic. (If this is successful, I may add additional newsletters on the related topics of astroelectricity and astronautical policy.) My Spacefaring Institute activities are only for the purposes of information outreach. I do not sell anything or solicit funding. Also, my general commentary will continue to be posted separately as normal posts and articles. My sincere thanks to everyone that has helped to reach this goal. Mike Snead Professional Engineer Associate Fellow, American Institute of Aeronautics & Astronautics President and Founder, Spacefaring Institute LLC [email protected]

I discuss how President Trump's new National Energy Dominance Council should and can fit into an overall American clean energy transition plan.

NASA is digging its human operations grave and will be dragging President Trump and Vice President Vance down along with it if this "news alert" that the Space Launch System is about to be cancelled has substance. The government, commercial, and private advisory space bureaucracy in Washington DC has failed America for decades—consistently giving the wrong advice and making poor decision. They have let China become the world's leading human spacefaring nation. Meanwhile, two decades after the very vocal space enthusiast community threw their support behind Virgin Galactic to create regularized suborbital passenger spaceflight and are now throwing their support behind SpaceX's yet-to-be-successful Starship, their favored efforts have or are floundering. (The Saturn V landed Apollo 11 on the Moon on its 5th mission. Starship blew up on its 7th mission.) Yet, undeterred, these enthusiasts proclaim to just give "us" more time. American went to Moon faster!! China is ahead!! They have been wrong for decades. The United States now has a proven heavy, unmanned space launch capability that, properly utilized, will enable America, in quick order, to begin to build a permanent national astrologistics infrastructure—starting in Low Earth Orbit. No other nation has this capability. Of course, I am talking about the Space Launch System (SLS). NASA doesn't have the common sense to undertake this infrastructure building because they are still trying to pursue the poorly thought-out Moon landing goal from Trump's first administration. "Common sense" is the catch phrase of the second Trump administration. Cancelling the SLS instead of rapidly exploiting it to permanently advance America's human spacefaring capabilities is a serious waste. I have been writing about how to use what is now called the SLS to build astrologistical capabilities for 30 years. This is not a new idea, but it is an ignored idea by those who proclaim to know better. As I said, with their advice, China is now ahead, and America's human spacefaring enterprise is floundering. For President Trump to follow their poor advice and cancel SLS instead of turning it into a very useful unmanned heavy spacelifter will be a serious mistake. Mike Snead, PE #SLS #boeing #spaceX #nasa #trump #vance #ussf #usaf #dod

Expressing my appreciation to the followers of the Spacefaring Institute LLC.

Topic: Initiating Iron Dome planning at DOD Acting on President Trump's Executive Order to create a comprehensive missile defense capability for the United States, Secretary of Defense Hegseth is reported to be directing that plans and budgetary inputs for the 2026 FY defense budget be undertaken to initiate the "Iron Dome" effort. It is important to keep in mind that this effort essentially began in the early 1980s—four decades ago—at the direction of President Reagan. The "Iron Dome" is a new name for Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative. Of concern is discussion of deploying "space-based interceptors". These will be robotic systems intended to enable the boost-phase interception of ballistic missiles. This concept was originally called "Brilliant Pebbles". The deployment of robotic space-based interceptors will likely cause a response to deploy robotic anti-space-based interceptors that are intended to degrade a U.S. defense capability to open a window for attack. The counter to this is for the U.S. to try to harden its space-based interceptors and sensor platforms while also deploying its own co-orbiting defensive systems to shield the space-based interceptors and sensors. The end result will likely be tit-for-tat escalation that is very similar to that of conventional arms in Europe in the 1960s and 1970s. Then, the U.S. Air Force determined that this was an unworkable strategy and undertook to develop the highly complex and expensive stealth capabilities that made conventional aircraft ineffective as a threat. This same approach now needs to be done in space. Rather than deploy escalation-inviting constellations of robotic orbital systems, the U.S. should adopt a two-fold strategy. First, using ground-launched, unmanned VTVL DC-X-like reusable systems that launch on detection to "pop-up" to deploy kinetic and DW interceptors. These would then land and be refueled and rearmed. Second, deploy a manned "space fleet"—yes, a "space fleet"—to protect and defend the U.S. space-deployed sensors and other critical battle management orbiting systems. Such manned "space ships" were first anticipated by General Arnold in late 1945. Yes, 1945! Such a "leap-ahead" capability is now achievable and would have by now been deployed had the USSF (and its predecessor "space side" of the Air Force) not been so anti-manned military space for decades. Give this job to the Air Force where it belongs. They understand human flight systems and the logistics needed for forward-deployed operations. #trump #DOD #USSF #USAF #irondome #saltzman #usspacecom #MDA #hegseth #johnhill

Topic: Initiating Iron Dome planning at DOD Acting on President Trump's Executive Order to create a comprehensive missile defense capability for the United States, Secretary of Defense Hegseth is reported to be directing that plans and budgetary inputs for the 2026 FY defense budget be undertaken to initiate the "Iron Dome" effort. It is important to keep in mind that this effort essentially began in the early 1980s—four decades ago—at the direction of President Reagan. The "Iron Dome" is a new name for Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative. Of concern is discussion of deploying "space-based interceptors". These will be robotic systems intended to enable the boost-phase interception of ballistic missiles. This concept was originally called "Brilliant Pebbles". The deployment of robotic space-based interceptors will likely cause a response to deploy robotic anti-space-based interceptors that are intended to degrade a U.S. defense capability to open a window for attack. The counter to this is for the U.S. to try to harden its space-based interceptors and sensor platforms while also deploying its own co-orbiting defensive systems to shield the space-based interceptors and sensors. The end result will likely be tit-for-tat escalation that is very similar to that of conventional arms in Europe in the 1960s and 1970s. Then, the U.S. Air Force determined that this was an unworkable strategy and undertook to develop the highly complex and expensive stealth capabilities that made conventional aircraft ineffective as a threat. This same approach now needs to be done in space. Rather than deploy escalation-inviting constellations of robotic orbital systems, the U.S. should adopt a two-fold strategy. First, using ground-launched, unmanned VTVL DC-X-like reusable systems that launch on detection to "pop-up" to deploy kinetic and DW interceptors. These would then land and be refueled and rearmed. Second, deploy a manned "space fleet"—yes, a "space fleet"—to protect and defend the U.S. space-deployed sensors and other critical battle management orbiting systems. Such manned "space ships" were first anticipated by General Arnold in late 1945. Yes, 1945! Such a "leap-ahead" capability is now achievable and would have by now been deployed had the USSF (and its predecessor "space side" of the Air Force) not been so anti-manned military space for decades. Give this job to the Air Force where it belongs. They understand human flight systems and the logistics needed for forward-deployed operations. #trump #DOD #USSF #USAF #irondome #saltzman #usspacecom #MDA #hegseth #johnhill

It is time to stop treating outer space like some distant desert battlefield—e.g., North Africa—where the debris of battle eventually gets subsumed by the desert sands. By the end of this century, not only the United States but the entire world will need to have completed an orderly transition to practicable, abundant clean energy if we are to avoid global nuclear war over the remaining technically recoverable fossil carbon fuels. World War II was largely fought over oil. The prolonged conflicts in the Middle East have been largely fought over oil. (This is why fanatical conflicts in other parts of Africa are of no real interest/concern.) Nuclear fission power is not the answer at the scale needed. The only practicable path in terms of scalability of renewable energy is space solar power-supplied astroelectricity. To undertake this, outer space needs to shielded from debris-creating conflict. To protect it from such conflict, when America is confronted by the hegemonistic ambitions of China (with its new "Axis of Evil" partners), what America needs to do is exactly what the U.S. military is doing to deter Chinese aggression in the South China Sea —deploy substantially superior conventional warfighting capabilities. In short: achieve deterrence achieved through far superior strength. USSPACECOM needs overwhelming space warfighting capabilities that do not substantially depend on kinetic kills that would create "forever" space debris. We cannot afford to "win" the battle only to lose the safe access to outer space needed to undertake space solar power. Essentially, President Trump's desire to protect the homeland must be carefully linked to America's national clean energy security strategy which requires that outer space remain as pristine as we can keep it while deterring aggression in, through, or from outer space by using vastly superior, non-kinetic space warfighting capabilities. Mike Snead, PE #irondome #dod #nasa #lockheedmartin #northropgrumman #csis #ussf #usaf #trump