Trump-Musk Overlapping Interests in Mars Exploration
NASA Currently Has No Mars Exploration Goals
SpaceX Influence May Expand If Trump Wins Presidency
"Occupy Mars" On the 5th of last month (local time), a month before the U.S. presidential election, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who appeared publicly to actively support the Republican candidate former President Donald Trump, wore a shirt with this phrase. Since founding SpaceX in 2002, Musk has focused on Mars exploration. Two weeks later, at a rally, former President Trump shouted to Musk, "We will land American astronauts on Mars," urging him to "prepare quickly."
On the 5th of last month, Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla (right), is seen raising both arms and jumping during a speech by former President Donald Trump, the Republican candidate. [Image source=AP Yonhap News]
As the alliance between former President Trump and CEO Musk strengthens, there is speculation that NASA's strategy may also change. If Trump, who has a strong interest in the space industry, succeeds in regaining the presidency, it is expected that SpaceX will exert greater influence over NASA's Mars exploration plans. The Washington Post (WP) recently reported that space policy analysts are paying close attention to this alliance.
The Trump camp has not made any official statements regarding this. However, Brian Hughes, senior advisor to the Trump campaign, praised Trump's establishment of the U.S. Space Force during his first term as "the greatest achievement" and stated that in a second term, the goal would be "to demonstrate American superiority in space."
In fact, former President Trump has shown great interest in Mars exploration for some time. In 2017, he reportedly asked astronaut Peggy Whitson, a former commander of the International Space Station, about Mars exploration plans. When Whitson explained that due to cost issues and the need for international cooperation, Mars exploration would be difficult before 2030, Trump responded that he wanted to attempt it during his first term or, at worst, his second term, urging to accelerate the timeline.
In 2019, Trump posted on his social media that NASA was only talking about going to the Moon but should now focus on Mars. That same year, during the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Moon landing, he asked then-NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine why it was not possible to go directly to Mars without a Moon landing, expressing his interest.
At campaign events, CEO Musk has shouted that the ability to go to Mars and the survival of humanity depend on Trump's victory. In July, he officially endorsed Trump and donated $75 million (approximately 104 billion KRW) to a super political action committee (PAC) supporting Trump's presidential campaign. Musk is accelerating the development of the unmanned spacecraft Starship, targeting Mars exploration in May 2026, and plans to send a manned spacecraft to Mars by 2028.
Given these circumstances, it is expected that NASA's plans, which oversee U.S. space exploration, will also be affected. SpaceX already holds government contracts worth billions of dollars with NASA and participates in various projects, but if Trump regains the presidency, its influence is expected to expand further. Although NASA is relatively independent from political influence, it cannot be completely excluded, so this interest is anticipated to be reflected in future policies.
For now, NASA is focusing on lunar exploration and does not have specific goals related to Mars exploration, WP reported. NASA's exploration systems development lead, Nouzoud Merancy, explained, "It takes no more than three days to travel to the Moon, but a round trip to Mars is likely to take two to three years." She added, "One of the biggest challenges is ensuring the crew maintains health and life so they can arrive on Mars and conduct exploration," emphasizing that there are still tasks to develop and test to ensure a safe and successful mission.
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