Quote:SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is calling for NASA to ditch its Artemis program, arguing that the "Moon is a distraction" and that "we're going straight to Mars" instead in a recent tweet — and directly contradicting the agency's long-established plans.

In a separate tweet on Christmas Day, Musk  accused the space agency's Moon program of being "extremely inefficient as it is a jobs-maximizing program, not a results-maximizing program."

The broadsides once again highlight the mercurial entrepreneur's obsession with establishing a city on Mars, a starry-eyed vision he wants to see facilitated by his space company's next-generation heavy-lift rockets.

And while the idea of ditching the Artemis program — which was officially formed by Musk's new ally, president-elect Donald Trump, in 2017 — seems bafflingly counterintuitive and shortsighted, his emboldened calls to skip the Moon can't be dismissed given his immense new influence.

Musk now holds huge sway not only over the fate of his many businesses, but the political landscape as well, most recently helping Trump win the election and even playing a major role in the torpedoing of a US Congress funding bill last month.

Consequently, the South African billionaire has been put in charge of a so-called "Department of Government Efficiency" to excise $2 trillion from the national budget. Whether this advisory group will be able to take aim at the Artemis program remains to be seen.

Nonetheless, now that Musk has a significant foothold in Washington, DC, NASA's efforts to land the first astronauts on the surface of the Moon before the end of this decade could be in serious trouble — or at least look dramatically different after some high-powered meddling.

What's perhaps most likely, at least in the short term, is that instead of scrapping NASA's plan, the Trump-Musk alliance could make significant adjustments instead, perhaps by ditching the agency's expensive and inefficient Space Launch System in favor of SpaceX's reusable Starship or Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket, as Ars Technica's Eric Berger suggests.


One unknown is NASA's incoming administrator Jared Isaacman, a billionaire and private astronaut who has been to space twice with the help of SpaceX — but who so far has expressed support for NASA's existing lunar gameplan.

In a statement Isaacman tweeted following his nomination, the billionaire proclaimed that "Americans will walk on the Moon and Mars and in doing so, we will make life better here on Earth."

That vision directly contradicts Musk's desire to aim our sights exclusively at Mars, a striking difference in tune that will be fascinating to watch play out.

Will Trump's administration and Isaacman bend the knee, calling off upcoming Artemis missions — or will it be a matter of appeasing Musk's plans while simultaneously pursuing American boots on the Moon?

Chances are, we'll have to wait quite some time until we get a definitive answer. The Artemis program has formed an intricate web between NASA and its private contractors, SpaceX included, which likely can't be ripped apart or burned down overnight.

Quote:Ars: Do you think it's appropriate for the next administration to review the Artemis Program?

Bill Nelson: Are you implying that Artemis should be canceled?

Ars: No. I don't think Artemis will be canceled in the main. But I do think they're going to take a look at the way the missions are done at the architecture. I know NASA just went through that process with Orion's heat shield.

Bill Nelson: Well, I think questioning what you're doing clearly is always an issue that ought to be on the table.  But do I think that they are going to cancel, as some of the chatter out there suggests, and replace SLS with Starship? The answer is no.

Ars: Why?


Bill Nelson: Put yourself in the place of President Trump. Do you think President Trump would like to have a conversation with American astronauts on the surface of the Moon during his tenure?

Ars: Of course.

Bill Nelson: OK, let me ask you another question. Do you think that President Trump would rather have a conversation with American astronauts during his tenure rather than listening to the comments of Chinese astronauts on the Moon during his tenure?

My case is closed, your Honor, I submit it to the jury.

Ars: You've had a long relationship with Elon Musk. I think some good, some bad. And I'm just wondering how comfortable you are with the role he's playing, advising the incoming president on space policy, given that SpaceX is integral to what NASA is doing, and there's some pretty clear conflicts of interest there.

Bill Nelson: I have not had any bad experiences with Elon vis-à-vis our space program. I have always said to him, and I've said it to him at least twice personally, that SpaceX's success on the lander is NASA's success, and SpaceX's success on the lander is America's success. I have a great relationship with Gwynne (Shotwell), and I think it's a tribute to Elon that he lets her run SpaceX.

Now that's my professional relationship with Elon. I have not ventured in a relationship with him with regard to what you're referring to in his conduct in an election and the future. I will venture to say that as to the future of NASA, since I am basically an optimist by nature, I believe that at least for the human program going to the Moon and then eventually to Mars, I think that Elon, with his personal relationship with the president-elect, can make sure that NASA has the money to accomplish that. And for that reason, I am optimistic.