Commercial Spaceflight Federation President Eric Stallmer said that President Donald Trump’s encouragement has been key to the development of new solutions for space exploration.

In an interview with Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot channel 125, Stallmer enthused about our journey toward the stars. Regarding the landmark discovery of organic compounds on Mars, Stallmer said: “I think it’s exciting, I think it’s another step forward for NASA and the Mars program.” He called it a “stepping stone for where we could go,” and a prime reason to “keep all of our exploration opportunities available.”

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So what exactly has Trump been doing to promote these opportunities? According to Stallmer, it is all about putting his money where his mouth is. He lauded the president’s reestablishment of the National Space Council, saying Trump is “bringing together the secretaries of defense, commerce, transportation, homeland security, national security, and a handful of others” in a move that has been “very proactive.”

When asked how the Trump administration differs from previous work, Stallmer lauded the decision to put Vice President Mike Pence on point:

By assigning the Vice President as the chair of the national space policy, he’s really took it upon himself to examine the entire space industry write large: what’s working, what’s not. We haven’t had this kind of focused, dedicated effort. I mean when, historically — not to knock previous administrations — but when you thought space, you thought NASA. well, there’s a lot more to space than just NASA. I think this administration, with the Vice President on the Space Council, has really recognized this, and is taking a really holistic approach to civil, commercial, and military space. we just haven’t had that kind of attention in past administrations.

He said these decisions have fueled a “really reinvigorated entrepreneurial spirit.” Stallmer is advocating for a return to the moon to do it “right,” expansion of the International Space Station, and research into living away from the surface of our home planet.

In May, Trump ordered the deregulation of space travel to pave the way for private companies to help and on Monday Trump announced his intent to create a military “Space Force” after initially proposing the idea in March. The goal: to shore up U.S. defenses on the new frontier.

Trump called space “the next great American frontier” when announcing the reestablishment of the National Space Council in June 2017. Then, in December, POTUS signed a directive to “send American astronauts back to the moon, and eventually Mars,” even “perhaps someday to many worlds beyond.”

Updated to include Trump’s intention to create a military “Space Force.”