US President Donald Trump shifts focus to Moon mission, aiming for 2028 lunar landing and a permanent outpost, putting Mars ambitions on hold.
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has confirmed a shift in space policy, prioritising a return to the Moon over missions to Mars.
In an executive order issued on Thursday, Trump directed efforts toward landing Americans on the Moon by 2028 under NASA’s Artemis program.
The order states such a landing would “assert American leadership in space, lay the foundations for lunar economic development, prepare for the journey to Mars, and inspire the next generation of American explorers.”
It also outlines NASA’s goal to establish “initial elements of a permanent lunar outpost by 2030” and confirms plans to deploy nuclear reactors “on the Moon and in orbit.”
The current NASA schedule aims for an Artemis 3 crewed lunar landing in mid-2027, but this timeline has faced repeated delays.
Industry experts predict further delays, citing that the lunar lander under development by Elon Musk’s SpaceX is not yet ready.
Trump’s executive order increases pressure on NASA and the private space sector to meet the administration’s new lunar objectives.
The United States is racing against China, which also plans to send a crew to the Moon by 2030 and establish a base there.
This lunar focus marks a policy shift from Trump’s earlier statements this year.
Upon returning to the White House in January, the Republican president said he wanted to put the American flag on Mars before the end of his term, without mentioning lunar plans.
That earlier announcement created uncertainty about the administration’s space priorities and raised fears NASA might bypass the Moon.
Despite long-stated ambitions to be the first nation to send humans to Mars, that goal now appears more distant.
A public dispute in June between Trump and Mars-enthusiast Elon Musk, alongside other geopolitical concerns, may have influenced this recalibration of Trump’s space ambitions. – AFP
