Mars in, moon out? NASA might go a different route under Isaacman

NASA might take on a different route under President Donald Trump. This is if his pick for chief of the space agency, Jared Isaacman, is confirmed as the new NASA administrator, Gizmodo reported. The businessman touted to take over the space agency reportedly has plans to shove aside the grand moon mission, Artemis, and focus on landing humans on Mars.

Isaacman shared a post on social media on February 16, hinting at the change of plans.

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He retweeted a photo of Mars and wrote that a photo such as this makes him feel “energised about the future.” He further talked about how massive an accomplishment landing humans on another planet is.

When I see a picture like this, it is impossible not to feel energized about the future. I think it is so important for people to understand the profound implications of sending humans to another planet:

- We will develop groundbreaking technologies in propulsion, habitability,… https://t.co/vEG2KHU3eS

Artemis mission

The Artemis programme has been beset with uncertainties amid delays. The second Artemis programme was supposed to take off in November 2024, however, it has been delayed by over a year now.

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The NASA mission will fly astronauts aboard the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft around the moon. It aims to know whether all systems work well in deep space with a spacecraft carrying humans aboard. This will further pave the way to land people on the moon once again since the historic Apollo missions.

Reports suggest that the delay and revision in the Artemis programme is pushing Boeing, a major NASA contractor, to lay off hundreds of employees from its space division.

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Trump, Musk, Isaacman and Mars

Meanwhile, Trump also mentioned that his administration will aim to plant a flag on the red planet, without so much as talking about the moon. Landing people on Mars is also a dream shared by DOGE chief Elon Musk. He plans on using the Starship built by his company SpaceX to send humans to the red planet.

Meanwhile, Isaacman was also a part of the Polaris mission spearheaded by Musk's company SpaceX in collaboration with Isaacman. He carried out thefirst-ever spacewalk by non-professional astronauts.

The delays in the Artemis mission coupled with Isaacman's plans and Musk's proximity to Trump, hint at the likelihood that Mars will become the focus of attention for NASA under the new president.

Isaacman does mention in his post that they will aim to "develop groundbreaking technologies" to unlock "mission optionality from the Moon to Mars and beyond." However, his main focus seems to be landing people on "another planet" as he ended his post by saying that "landing American astronauts on another planet—will inspire generations of dreamers".

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NASA has for years been talking about making the moon the point from where missions to Mars can be launched. However, Musk has called the Artemis missions a distraction, and believes that the best approach is to tackle Mars directly. Given his current position in the Trump administration, he is likely to have a major influence on how NASA works in the coming years.

During the Space Force Association’s Spacepower Conference on December 11, Isaacman stressed the role of the United States in putting humans on the Moon and Mars. He added that the ventures can “shift the entire balance of power here on Earth.”