Reagan Said to Back New Policy in Space, Including Moon Shots

President Reagan has approved a new space policy that endorses a $1-billion plan to develop new technology that could result in a return to the moon and eventual manned flights to Mars, it was reported Friday.

Aviation Week & Space Technology magazine reported in its Jan. 18 edition that Reagan approved the new policy early this month and that he is expected to announce it during his State of the Union address on Jan. 25.

“The policy endorses two key goals--maintaining U.S. preeminence in manned Earth orbital flight and extending U.S. manned operations beyond Earth into the solar system,” the magazine reported.

Preeminence in Earth orbital flight would imply continuing support for NASA’s planned space station and an endorsement of deep space missions such as a flight to Mars.

Aviation Week said the White House has given the National Aeronautics and Space Administration permission to begin a long-term program in 1989 to develop “pathfinder” technologies necessary for a return to the moon by the end of the century and for manned flights to Mars early in the 21st Century.

Funding for fiscal 1989 will total $100 million, with the total cost of the pathfinder program estimated at $1 billion, the magazine said.

“The new policy initiatives were unanimously approved by the Senior Interagency Group for Space in late December and forwarded to the President for his signature,” Aviation Week said.

The magazine also said the Reagan Administration has approved a fiscal 1989 NASA budget request of $11.5 billion, $3 billion above the 1988 level. It said the budget request includes funding for development of an advanced solid-fuel booster.

The Reagan Administration has been criticized in recent months for not defining clear long-term goals for the civilian space agency in the wake of the Challenger explosion two years.