Ensuring American Space Superiority: A Four-Pillar Strategy for Exploration, Security, and Commercial Growth
At spaceNEXT 2026, Aaron Miles of the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy delivered a policy-focused keynote outlining the administration’s executive order on Ensuring American Space Superiority — a sweeping framework designed to position the United States at the forefront of exploration, national security, and commercial space development.
Issued two months prior to the conference, the executive order establishes what Miles described as a “bold yet coherent” agenda for American space leadership in the coming years — and lays groundwork future administrations can build upon.
“Superiority in space,” the order states, “is a measure of national vision and willpower.”
The policy is structured around four priority pillars: Exploration, Security, Commerce, and Foundational Capabilities.
Pillar One: Leading the World in Exploration
When Americans think of space, Miles noted, they often think first of exploration.
The executive order establishes three major objectives:
Return Americans to the Moon by 2028 through the Artemis program
Establish initial elements of a permanent lunar outpost by 2030
Enhance sustainability and cost-effectiveness of launch and exploration architectures
The lunar return, Miles emphasized, is not symbolic.
It is strategic — laying foundations for lunar economic development, preparing for Mars exploration, and sustaining American leadership in space discovery.
“Exploration architectures designed around legacy approaches cannot support the regularization of space travel that this moment demands,” he said.
The administration’s view is clear: exploration must evolve alongside technology, commercial capability, and long-term sustainability.
Pillar Two: Securing Vital Interests In, From, and To Space
The second pillar addresses national and economic security — with an explicit acknowledgement that the United States has vital interests in, from, and to space.
Miles underscored that strategic competitors are increasingly challenging American leadership.
The executive order prioritizes:
Developing next-generation missile defense prototypes by 2028
Detecting and countering threats from very low Earth orbit through cislunar space
Accelerating acquisition reform and integrating commercial capabilities into national security architecture
Strengthening ally and partner contributions to collective space security
It also builds upon first-term initiatives, including the establishment of the U.S. Space Force.
Ensuring superiority, Miles argued, requires an adaptive national security space architecture that leverages both government capabilities and America’s commercial innovation ecosystem.
“We must ensure the ability to detect, characterize, and counter the full range of threats to our interests,” he said.
Pillar Three: Growing a Vibrant Commercial Space Economy
The third pillar focuses squarely on commerce — recognizing that American space leadership depends on private sector growth.
The executive order sets ambitious targets:
Attract at least $50 billion in additional investment by 2028
Increase launch and re-entry cadence through infrastructure upgrades and regulatory reform
Demonstrate spectrum leadership to strengthen global competitiveness
Enable a commercial pathway to replace the International Space Station by 2030
Miles emphasized the importance of regulatory modernization, noting that frameworks built a decade ago no longer reflect today’s commercial space landscape.
“Overregulation inhibits growth of the vibrant space economy that will build prosperity and open new opportunities for the American people,” he said.
A key directive includes updating the 2013 National Space Transportation Policy and expanding streamlined mission authorization processes for novel commercial activities.
The message to industry: the federal government intends to create conditions for growth.
Pillar Four: Building Foundational Capabilities for the Next Century
The fourth pillar addresses crosscutting capabilities that enable success across exploration, security, and commerce.
Five priority objectives include:
Optimizing space research and development investments
Deploying nuclear reactors on the Moon and in orbit, including a lunar surface reactor ready for launch by 2030
Improving high-value space and Earth weather forecasting
Advancing space traffic management and orbital debris mitigation
Establishing ground, space, and lunar infrastructure standards to support a robust industrial base
Miles highlighted space nuclear power as a near-term priority, building on earlier space policy directives and executive actions.
Next-generation capabilities, he noted, will not only power deep space exploration but also enhance terrestrial services — from precision agriculture to aviation safety to global broadband connectivity.
A Strategic Moment
Throughout the keynote, Miles returned to a central theme: prioritization.
“The alternative,” he said, “is to do a bit of everything, but to do it poorly.”
The executive order reflects a deliberate choice to define tangible goals with explicit timelines — and to coordinate implementation across agencies under OSTP leadership.
Two months after issuance, coordinated implementation is underway.
Miles described the current moment as one of “unparalleled opportunity” — but also urgency.
“It’s an exciting time for space,” he concluded. “A moment with unparalleled opportunity to achieve amazing things in exploration, in securing our vital interests, and in establishing a vibrant space economy for the next century of American leadership.”