Matías S. Zavia
WriterElon Musk founded SpaceX in 2002 to encourage humanity to colonize Mars. He believes that creating an autonomous city on the Red Planet and making humans a multiplanetary species would help prevent our extinction due to potential threats such as a major thermonuclear war, irreversible climate change, and meteorite impact.
However, Musk may not have anticipated that he’d eventually wield enough power to convince the U.S. government to adopt his vision as the nation’s “manifest destiny.” He’s also transformed SpaceX from a NASA contractor into a key player in governmental decision-making.
An unexpected change in leadership. When President Donald Trump took office, Janet Petro, the director of the John F. Kennedy Space Center, was appointed as NASA’s acting administrator until a permanent head was chosen, presumably Jared Isaacman. Although Jim Free, the agency’s deputy administrator, was expected to assume the role, Trump instead appointed Petro.
Free had previously defended the continuity of the Artemis program after Trump’s election, an action many saw as a challenge to the new administration’s focus on Mars colonization. Additionally, Michael Altenhofen, an engineer with 15 years of experience at SpaceX, was named senior advisor to Petro, which some interpret as a sign of Musk’s increasing influence within NASA.
A tense environment. As the new acting administrator, Petro complied with the directive to close all offices associated with the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility in the Federal Workforce program. In a controversial internal statement, she readily adopted Trump’s rhetoric, saying, “These programs divided Americans by race, wasted taxpayer dollars, and resulted in shameful discrimination.”
Petro encouraged employees to report anyone who didn’t comply with this order, providing a form for them to do so. According to Ars Technica, this contributed to very low morale among NASA employees.
Astronauts “stranded” in space. For some employees, the tipping point was Musk’s announcement that SpaceX would rescue, at Trump’s request, the two astronauts “stranded” on the International Space Station. Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were part of the unsuccessful certification mission for Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft.
Both Musk and Trump emphasized that Wilmore and Williams had been stranded for too long (since June 2024). However, NASA had already arranged for their return in August, well before Trump’s reelection. The agency’s plan included two empty seats on the Crew-9 mission aboard a SpaceX spacecraft, which has been docked at the ISS since September.
Wilmore and Williams joined the orbiting station’s permanent crew while awaiting the next astronaut rotation mission, Crew-10, which was postponed until the end of March. Outgoing astronauts often spend a few days with incoming astronauts before returning home, sharing information on onboard science experiments and station maintenance.
Heading toward Mars. Musk recently shared on X that the “Moon is a distraction” and colonizing Mars should be a priority. Shortly after, during his inauguration, Trump described the conquest of Mars as America’s “manifest destiny.” Rumors began circulating that the new administration would restructure the Artemis program to focus NASA’s resources on landing on the Red Planet.
During his first administration, Trump prioritized lunar missions with the creation of the Artemis program in 2019. SpaceX is one of the main contractors, providing its Starship spacecraft as a manned lander. However, SpaceX has set an ambitious internal goal to send five unmanned Starship missions to Mars in 2026. The company also plans for the first manned mission to the Martian surface in 2028–an extraordinarily ambitious goal, even with NASA’s support.
Musk’s cuts. As the owner of SpaceX, Musk would face a significant conflict of interest if he made decisions that directly impacted NASA. However, his position as head of the Department of Government Efficiency, an advisory body closely affiliated with the White House, raises concerns about a potential 30% cut to NASA’s budget. This could involve closing centers, relocating sites, and canceling essential programs.
Musk is particularly skilled at reducing costs. However, if NASA’s goal were to send humans to Mars–an expensive objective–it’d require a substantial reallocation of funds. Prioritizing Mars may lead to the U.S. conceding several symbolic victories on the Moon to China. While the U.S. has already sent 12 astronauts to the lunar surface between 1969 and 1972, China intends to land on the Moon for the first time in 2030. If NASA focuses on Mars, it’s possible that China could be the first to establish a manned scientific base either in orbit or on the surface of the Moon.
Jared Isaacman’s role. Although his intentions remain unclear for now, many NASA employees are placing their hopes on Isaacman, who Trump nominated to lead the agency. Isaacman, with no prior experience at NASA, has flown into space twice on private SpaceX missions. As such, Musk likely recommended Isaacman to Trump. The Atlantic even described him as a “mini-me” of the SpaceX CEO.
Isaacman is a young entrepreneur who may prioritize contracts for new aerospace companies such as SpaceX, Blue Origin, Sierra Space, and Rocket Lab. At the same time, he could potentially cut funding for major traditional projects like the Boeing-led Space Launch System rocket or the Northrop Grumman-led Gateway lunar station.
Additionally, Isaacman recently referred to putting people on Mars as a feasible goal. The question remains: How many changes will he be able to implement in four years to make that goal achievable, and who will benefit from those changes?
Image | SpaceX
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