Sources reveal that under President-elect Donald Trump, NASA’s Mars ambitions may soon soar higher, shifting the focus from the moon to the ultimate frontier—Mars. Elon Musk’s SpaceX stands to benefit from this renewed emphasis, potentially catapulting his interplanetary dream from vision to national priority. Trump, who previously branded the moon as a “launching pad,” has sparked speculation about NASA’s Artemis program pivoting towards ambitious Mars missions, even uncrewed journeys by decade’s end.
With a new Trump administration, Musk’s desire for deregulation could also mean big changes for the FAA’s commercial space oversight, which he views as a roadblock to SpaceX’s plans. Space industry insiders suggest Trump may pursue fixed-price contracts that empower private firms and put larger responsibilities on them, potentially sidelining NASA’s costly Space Launch System in favor of SpaceX’s Starship.
As timelines and promises soar, experts question Musk’s ambitious 2026 target to reach Mars with Starship. “Can he land Starship on Mars in a one-way mission by the end of Trump’s term? Absolutely,” says former Trump space policy chief Scott Pace. “But a manned mission? No, you have to walk before you run.”
