SpaceX founder and scandalous billionaire Elon Musk has made public his ambitions to shift the focus of space exploration from the Moon to Mars. Despite the fact that his company is NASA’s main private contractor, the billionaire is trying to influence the agency’s strategy by proposing to abandon the Artemis program in favor of interplanetary missions. The Wall Street Journal reports that Musk has already been in contact with future NASA chief Jared Isaacman, who could be an ally in this fight.
Sudden change of priorities
NASA’s plan is that the SLS rocket should carry the first astronauts to the Moon by 2026 and land them on the surface by 2027. However, Musk opposes this mission, because it, in his opinion, “diverts resources” from the main goal — the colonization of Mars. His company is already developing Starship, a rocket for interplanetary travel, and is lobbying to reallocate NASA’s budget so that his project gets more attention. WSJ sources claim the White House is considering canceling the SLS, which would represent a major shift in space policy.
Influential allies
A key player in this game could be Jared Isaacman, a billionaire and space tourist who is awaiting appointment as NASA administrator. His links to Musk and the appointment of former SpaceX chief Michael Altenhofen as an adviser to the agency raise questions about conflicts of interest. According to critics, such actions would open SpaceX to government resources, increasing the company’s influence.
Risks and protests
The abandonment of Artemis threatens not only the loss of a decade of development, but also the political consequences. Congressmen of both parties, notably Republican Brian Babin, caution: the SLS is necessary to compete with China in the lunar race. In addition, canceling the program would lead to massive layoffs at NASA. This year alone, the agency has already laid off hundreds of workers without proper explanation.
Musk’s radical DOGE division also aims to destroy the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which is responsible for enforcing flight safety laws during Starship launches. It was because of this structure that the billionaire had to wait for launch permission, because of the investigation into the explosions of his rockets.
Dream or fantasy?
Musk has openly criticized missions to the Moon, calling them “ineffective.” But the billionaire is calling for investment in Mars. “We’re going straight there. The Moon is a distraction,” he said on social media. However, experts remind: technologies for flights to the Red Planet have not been prepared yet, and the redirection of funds threatens to disrupt all current projects.
The full answer here is complex.
The outcome of any given company is the vector sum of the people within it. Improve the alignment of the individual vectors and their amplitude and the outcome will improve accordingly.
Humans can be thought of as hardware (inherent talent)…
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 25, 2024
While Musk’s vision partially aligns with Trump’s words about “ landing a star flag on Mars,” realizing such plans will take decades and trillions of dollars. Whether NASA is ready for such a revolution is a question that splits the scientific community and politicians alike. For now, the agency’s official position is, “We are committed to returning to the Moon.” But under pressure from Musk, that answer could be changed as soon as possible.
We previously reported on the fact that astronauts wouldn’t be able to survive a mission to Mars.
