Commercial Space Proponent Charles Miller Appointed To NASA Landing Team

The appointment of former NASA official and commercial spaceflight advocate Charles Miller to the Trump transition NASA landing team may signal a move towards giving commercial space companies a louder voice on the transition team, thanks to the influence of venture capitalist Peter Thiel.

Thiel was one of several high-tech executives to meet with President-elect Trump last week at Trump Tower. The Wall Street Journal attributes the appointment of Miller to the landing team directly to Thiel's influence.

The transition team is also expected to appoint Alan Stern, chair of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, and Alan Lindenmoyer, who at one time led NASA's commercial space taxi program, to serve on the NASA advisory panel. Both have consulting contracts with NASA, according to the report.

Thiel's support for an expanded NASA landing team has been opposed by legacy aerospace contractors, according to the report. Thiel and Elon Musk are reportedly longtime friends and business associates, and some sources "familiar with the matter" have hinted that they are colluding for their own financial gain.

Vice President-elect Mike Pence is expected to be the primary decision maker on space issues in the Trump administration.

FMI: https://greatagain.gov