ENERGY FOR SPACE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY’S STRATEGY TO ADVANCE AMERICAN SPACE LEADERSHIP (FY 2021–FY 2031) Energy for Space: Department of Energy’s Strategy to Advance American Space Leadership Executive Summary The United States is facing an increasingly diverse and competitive environment in the commercial and Vision military exploitation of space. A growing number of The Department of Energy will be an essential nations are seeking to venture into space, and our source of the science, technology, and adversaries are energetically pursuing commercial and engineering solutions needed for advancing U.S. military advantage in this domain. The current National Space Strategy, National Space Policy, and Space leadership in the space domain. Policy Directives (SPDs) call for a reinvigorated, whole- of-nation approach to advance America’s leadership Strategic Goals in space-based science, technology, commerce, and security. U.S. priorities include returning American DOE will apply the Department’s core competencies astronauts to the Moon for the long-term, followed and emerging capabilities, including those of its 17 by human exploration missions to Mars and beyond; National Laboratories, to the needs of the U.S. space ensuring an unfettered ability to operate in space by community through focused strategic goals: deterring, countering, and defeating space-oriented threats to U.S. security; and reforming regulatory • Power the Exploration of Space. DOE will develop frameworks and pursuing international cooperation to space-capable energy technologies (both nuclear foster growth in space commerce. America’s leadership and non-nuclear) for U.S. space customers, explore in space will depend upon developing advanced, space- energy management systems for their potential applicable technology, through our own U.S. efforts application to space missions, and advance innovative and in partnership with nations and international space energy generation, collection, storage, distribution, agencies that share our values and interests. employment, dissipation, and thermal management technologies for space systems. Since the earliest days of space exploration, the • Solve the Mysteries of Space. DOE will harness Department of Energy (DOE) and its National the capabilities and expertise within its laboratory Laboratories have been essential suppliers of the complex and across its broad community of scientific research, knowledge, and technologies that researchers to make scientific discoveries for have led to a sustained U.S. presence in space, to ever- space and in space, advancing our fundamental longer space exploration missions, and to significant understanding of the universe and the ways in space achievements. The DOE innovation enterprise which humans can live and work in it safely, securely, brings together a world-class community of scientists, productively, and profitably. engineers, and technologists with unique, cutting-edge research facilities, capable of solving U.S. space mission • Support the Secure and Peaceful Use of Space. challenges and advancing U.S. scientific understanding DOE, including the National Nuclear Security of the universe. Administration (NNSA), will provide technical capabilities, systems, multi-purpose sensors, and Through this Energy for Space strategy, DOE will satellite development/deployment support with build on its support to U.S national space policies application to national security as well as civil space and programs, and contribute to advancing U.S. programs. leadership in space exploration, security, and • Enable the Development of Space. DOE will drive commerce via a more strategic approach to DOE’s innovation in space science research and achieve work with the space community. This strategy also breakthroughs in space-applicable technology for demonstrates the connections between DOE’s space- future U.S. space missions and grow U.S. space related contributions and DOE’s pursuit of its own commerce. core missions in science, energy, security, and the environment. i Energy for Space: Department of Energy’s Strategy to Advance American Space Leadership Principles Implementation DOE’s approach to these four strategic goals will be The Energy for Space strategy was prepared through underpinned by three foundational principles: the internal DOE Space Coordinating Group and in consultation with external U.S. space leaders, • DOE’s space-related activities will concurrently stakeholders, and partners, including the National develop DOE’s scientific and technically skilled Space Council, National Security Council, National workforce within DOE’s primary mission areas; create Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the opportunities to maintain and retain DOE’s cadre of Department of Defense (DoD) and U.S. Space Force, experienced scientists, engineers, and technicians; and others. The implementation of this strategy will and promote educational achievement in Science, take place through a series of programmatic objectives Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and lines of action that DOE will pursue to support the programs aimed at building DOE’s next generation requirements and needs of other U.S. space agencies workforce. and industry, consistent with DOE’s strategic goals and • DOE’s scientific facilities and infrastructure will principles. The anticipated supporting program actions benefit from the additional work provided by other are outlined in the appendices to this document. agencies sponsoring space research, experiments, and technology development across the DOE enterprise. • DOE’s flexible Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) contracting model, as well as strategic partnering with other Federal agencies, industry, and universities, will both support U.S. space initiatives as well as offer practical opportunities for DOE to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of contract administration and project management performance at the best value to the U.S. taxpayer. ii Energy for Space: Department of Energy’s Strategy to Advance American Space Leadership Table of Contents Executive Summary .............................................................................i The U.S. Strategy for Space Leadership ........................................... 1 The DOE Strategy for Space .............................................................. 3 Methodology ....................................................................................... 5 Goals and Objectives ..........................................................................7 Power the Exploration of Space ........................................................... 7 Solve the Mysteries of Space .............................................................10 Support the Secure and Peaceful Use of Space ............................. 12 Enable the Development of Space .................................................... 15 Conclusion .........................................................................................18 Appendix A: List of Legislation, Policy Directives, and Other Documents ................................................... 19 Appendix B: DOE Space Power Action Plan .................................... 21 Appendix C: DOE Space Science Action Plan ................................ 23 Appendix D: DOE Space National Security Action Plan ................ 26 Appendix E: DOE Space Development Action Plan ....................... 28 iii Energy for Space: Department of Energy’s Strategy to Advance American Space Leadership Acronyms and Abbreviations AI Artificial Intelligence LIBS Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy BNL Brookhaven National Laboratory LPS Lab Partnering Service CRADA Cooperative Research and Development MI Machine Intelligence Agreements MMRTG Multi-Mission Radioisotope CSP Concentrating Solar Power Thermoelectric Generator DAMIEN Detecting and Mitigating the Impact of MOU Memorandum of Understanding Earth-Bound Near-Earth Objects M&S Modeling and Simulation DART Double Asteroid Redirection Test NASA National Aeronautics and Space DC Direct Current Administration DoD Department of Defense NEO Near-Earth Object DOE Department of Energy NNSA National Nuclear Security Administration DOE NE Department of Energy Office of Nuclear NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Energy Administration DOE OE Department of Energy Office of Electricity NSF National Science Foundation FEMA Federal Emergency Management Agency NTP Nuclear Thermal Propulsion FFRDC Federally Funded Research and ORNL Oak Ridge National Laboratory Development Center DOE OSPP Department of Energy Office of Strategic GPS Global Positioning Satellites Planning and Policy INL Idaho National Laboratory Pu Plutonium ISS International Space Station RFI Request for Information KRUSTY Kilowatt Power Using Stirling Technology RTG Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator LANL Los Alamos National Laboratory R&D Research and Development LBNL Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory SHERLOC Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman & Luminescence for Organics and LLNL Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Chemicals LTBT Limited Test Ban Treaty SNL Sandia National Laboratories iv Energy for Space: Department of Energy’s Strategy to Advance American Space Leadership SNPP Space Nuclear Power and Propulsion TRISO Tristructural-Isotropic (Nuclear Fuel) SPD Space Policy Directive USAF U.S. Air Force SPP Strategic Partnership Projects USNDS U.S. Nuclear Detonation Detection System SSA Space Situational Awareness STEM Science, Technology, Engineering