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Artemis -

During President Trump’s first term, he signed a policy directive to “send humans back to the moon.” This initiative, officially referred to as Artemis, is the first time the US has explicitly attempted to do so since the 1970s, following the end of the Apollo program.

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Artemis III -

Artemis III was established to create an opportunity for astronauts to be able to both live and work on the moon’s surface, in efforts to conduct research.

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Space Launch System -

NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) is, according to NASA, the only rocket that is able to “send Orion, astronauts, and cargo” in a single launch, directly to the moon.

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Lunar landing mission -

The first lunar landing mission, referred to as Artemis III, consists of four astronauts who will go on NASA’s Orion (pictured) crew capsule to the moon.

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SpaceX's Starship -

The plan is for Orion to dock with SpaceX’s Starship vehicle (pictured), which would be launched in parallel, and two of the four astronauts will move to Starship, which will land on the lunar surface.

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Starship's lunar orbit -

After landing on the moon, the two astronauts would then return to Starship to conduct a lunar orbit. Following the orbit, the astronauts will return to Orion. Starship will remain in orbit around the moon.

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SLS key tool -

NASA claims that the SLS is a key tool in deep space exploration for the organization. Six space industry executives, including government member and SpaceX CEO, Elon Musk, have lobbied President Trump over the project.

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Moon exploration -

While NASA’s multi-billion dollar initiative is a key aspect of its moon exploration project, it has undoubtedly been a source of budgetary stress for the institution.

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Cancel or phase out -

The six space industry lobbyists are urging Trump to cancel or, at minimum, phase out the SLS project, in line with the new administration’s objective to “streamline government.”

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DOGE -

Trump's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), headed by Musk himself, seeks to cut up to US$2 trillion from the federal budget.

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Commercial initiative -

These talks, led by DOGE, promote the idea that the future of space exploration should be a commercial initiative, rather than a governmental project. Musk places particular interest in shifting space exploration from the moon to Mars, which has been echoed by Trump. Pictured is Luke Jerram's sculpture, 'Mars: War & Peace.'

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New leadership -

NASA, now led by Musk’s close associate and SpaceX customer, Jared Isaacman, is likely to change US space policy in a way that the institution has never before experienced.

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Delays and costs -

Isaacman has repeatedly critiqued delays and costs associated with the SLS project, pointing particularly to its alleged outdated technology.

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Divergence of funding -

Musk, who stated that the SLS “makes me feel sad,” and space industry allies are hoping that the divergence of funding from NASA’s projects will further SpaceX initiatives.

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Falcon Heavy -

This is particularly relevant to SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy project. The attractiveness of the Falcon Heavy is its cost—which is a great deal cheaper than NASA’s initiative.

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Cost differences -

For comparison purposes, each SLS launch costs anywhere between US$2-4 billion, while each Falcon Heavy launch costs approximately $250 million.

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SpaceX rocket less powerful -

This, too, comes at a cost, as the SpaceX Falcon Heavy is a far less powerful rocket in comparison to the SLS initiative.

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Blue Origin -

Amazon giant Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, another rocket initiative led by a business executive, is comparable to what Falcon Heavy offers—a cheaper, less powerful, but reusable option for space exploration.

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Competition with China -

The SLS is the only existing project that offers real competition for China’s innovations in space exploration, which is set to make a moon landing by 2030; a conservative estimate. 

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Political challenges ahead -

The US$24-billion SLS program is likely to experience a significant change, but, according to Reuters, this is not likely to occur without its political challenges.

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Job cuts -

The SLS project is being dually developed by Boeing and Northrop Grumman corporations, employing 28,000 employees across the nation. Widespread job cuts would accompany the cancellation of the project. 

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Republican stronghold states -

With SLS employees primarily concentrated in Republican stronghold states, such as Alabama and Texas, the new administration is likely to face pushback, even among their supporters.

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National security priorities -

In addition to downplaying rumors of canceling SLS, Republican representatives, such as representative Brian Babin (left), are also critiquing assessments of the initiative, referring to national security priorities relevant to the project.

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Political storm -

SLS is certainly caught in a political storm of mixed interests. In addition to its technological advantages, Republican representatives know what’s at stake, according to Bill Nelson (pictured), former senator and NASA administrator.

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Impact on local economies will show in polls -

If significant job cuts soon materialize following the circulating rumors, local economies will face challenges. Disturbances in local economies will certainly reflect voters’ behavior in the polls.

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Workers laid off -

In February 2025, Boeing already announced its intentions to lay off approximately 400 employees working on the SLS project by April 2025. Pictured is Boeing President and CEO Dave Calhoun.

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Starship is also delayed -

While the delays of the SLS project have been the center of discussion about the direction of the government’s space exploration initiatives, Musk’s Starship is also delayed.

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Starship still has to demonstrate capacity -

Starship has yet to demonstrate its capacity to refuel in space, as well as its ability to actually land on the moon without an onboard crew.

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Musk wants to send Starship to Mars -

Musk also hopes to use Starship to send humans to Mars by 2028, as part of his ambitions to settle the planet with human life. Industry experts tend to view Musk's timeline as unrealistic.

Sources: (Bloomberg) (Reuters) (NASA) (Space)

See also: NASA inventions we use every day

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