Issued on: March 26, Deborah Barnhart and the great team here at the Space and Rocket Center; honored guests; and especially to all the dedicated the men and women of the Marshall Space Flight Center: It is great to be back in Rocket City.
Thank you for joining us for this fifth meeting of the National Space Council at an enormously important time in American leadership in space. And speaking of space enthusiasts, allow me to bring greetings from a friend of mine and a man who is committed to securing American leadership here on Earth and in the boundless expanse of space. You know, the United States has always been a nation of restless pioneers, ever striving to explore uncharted territories, reach new horizons, and venture into the unknown to expand the boundaries of human knowledge.
Ladies and gentlemen, would you mind getting on your feet and helping me to welcome and thank Apollo 11 astronaut, Buzz Aldrin, for a lifetime of service and heroism. And to meet the growing security threats in the war-fighting domain of space, at the direction of our Commander-in-Chief, this year, working with the Congress, we will establish the sixth branch of our armed forces: The United States Space Force.
Space Command. Thank you, Heather, for your service to the nation. Today we stand at the dawn of a new era of space exploration โ an era that will bring untold new challenges and opportunities, and it will demand the best of us. It will demand new ideas, renewed energies, courage, and bold action. After spending more than 45 years in low-Earth orbit, President Trump and our entire administration believe that it is time to push onward to new horizons and new destinations.
And we are rallying the world to join us in this vital work. This month, Canada became our first international partner and announced a year commitment to cooperate on the Lunar Gateway.
