Trump’s $10B Move Boosts NASA Moon Plans, Slows Musk’s Mars Dream
In a bold political twist, former President Donald Trump is backing a $10 billion funding boost for NASA’s Artemis program, giving the Moon a front-row seat over Elon Musk’s long-standing Mars ambitions. The decision repositions America’s space priorities, at least for now, favoring lunar footprints over Martian colonies.
For years, Musk’s SpaceX has set its sights on Mars, aiming to send humans and eventually build a self-sustaining settlement. But Artemis, NASA’s flagship Moon mission, is stealing the spotlight—complete with a massive funding injection from what’s being called the “Big Beautiful Bill.”
Artemis plans to return astronauts to the Moon for the first time in over 50 years, using the expendable Space Launch System (SLS). Musk, who champions reusable rockets to cut costs, has slammed SLS as an “inefficient, jobs-maximizing” relic.
The funding shift reverses earlier efforts to trim SLS costs and may reflect political tension—possibly Trump’s fading bromance with Musk. Either way, Mars now takes a backseat.
Bottom line: NASA’s Artemis could land astronauts on the Moon by 2026, while SpaceX’s Mars timeline slides into the 2030s. Musk faces a detour; the Moon is once again America’s next giant leap—whether he likes it or not.
