NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman walks outside the White House in Washington, DC, on December 18, 2025. BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / AFP
US President Donald Trump confirmed that he wants to send astronauts back to the Moon as soon as possible on Thursday, December 18, putting eventual Mars missions on the back burner.
In an executive order on his space policy, Trump said he wanted to get Americans to the Moon by 2028, under NASA's Artemis program launched during his first White House term. Such a lunar landing would "assert American leadership in space, lay the foundations for lunar economic development, prepare for the journey to Mars, and inspire the next generation of American explorers," the order says.
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