SpaceX founder Elon Musk has called the moon a ‘distraction’ and signaled a shift toward Mars. The last time Americans walked on the moon was in December of 1972. The hope was that we would again in 2027. But, President Donald Trump could kill off those plans to make his new right-hand man Elon Musk happy and push the effort for man to finally reach Mars.
![[The Apollo 17 mission in 1972 was the last time humans set foot on the lunar surface. But, we could soon return]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/02/19/22/33/GettyImages-159235296.jpeg)
“At some point,” Space X founder Musk added. “They always ask me: ‘Do you wanna die on Mars?’ And I say, ‘Well, yes, but not on impact,’” Musk added. Musk has not been bashful about his hopes to go to Mars. He has talked about it and worn T-shirts at Trump rallies promoting a mission to the Red Planet. NASA has been pushing for a return to the moon but now questions swirl regarding whether Trump will continue the Artemis project or skip the moon and push ahead to Mars.
![[Jared Isaacman, the nominee to lead the space agency during the second Trump term, supports spaceflight to both the moon and Mars. It’s unclear where that will leave the agency in the near-term]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/02/19/23/22/earthmoonmars-trio-image.jpeg)
On Thursday, Musk suggested that NASA should begin preparations to deorbit the International Space Station, saying the orbiting laboratory has “served its purpose.”. “No, we’re going straight to Mars. The moon is a distraction,” Musk, who frequently wears a t-shirt emblazoned with the words “Occupy Mars”, wrote on his social media platform X. “Mass to orbit is the key metric, thereafter mass to Mars surface. The former needs to be in the megaton to orbit per year range to build a self-sustaining colony on Mars.”.
NASA is on the Department of Government Efficiency - the quasi-government agency spearheaded by Musk looking to trim the federal budget - chopping block, as well. Although, it managed to escape cuts this week. Jared Isaacman, the nominee to lead NASA under Trump’s second term and a billionaire himself, appears to be on the Mars train. Although, it’s not exactly clear if he’s in lockstep with a 180-degree turn, and he still needs to be confirmed by the Senate.
Acting Administrator Janet Petro has also recently said that the moon is still a big part of NASA’s human spaceflight plans. Aerospace engineer Robert Zubrin, who believes it’s “pretty clear” that the U.S. will start a humans-to-Mars program, told the organization that this time is filled with both risk and reward. He voiced concerns about Mars becoming a partisan issue.
