--- title: "Congress Alarmed at Elon Musk’s Plan to Cancel NASA Moon Landing" description: "Congress is none too pleased after Elon Musk declared that \"the Moon is a distraction\" and that NASA should be going \"straight to Mars.\"" date: "2025-01-16" modified: "2025-01-16" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/congress-alarmed-elon-musk-moon" categories: - "Astronomy" - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "Moon" - "NASA" - "Space" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "donald trump" - "elon musk" - "Moon mission" - "the digest" --- # Congress Alarmed at Elon Musk’s Plan to Cancel NASA Moon Landing ![Congress is none too pleased after Elon Musk declared that "the Moon is a distraction" and that NASA should be going "straight to Mars."]() *\Image: Samuel Corum via Getty / Futurism\* ## Distract, Divert, Defund Congress is none too pleased after SpaceX CEO and unelected official Elon Musk declared that the "[Moon is a distraction]()" and that NASA should instead be going "straight to Mars." As [*Politico* reports](), lawmakers who control NASA's budget are prepared to fight back against Musk's apparent plan to [kibosh the space agency's forthcoming lunar landing]() in favor of his long-running Martian dreams. Though Musk [previously criticized the lunar mission]() as a "jobs-maximizing program, not a results-maximizing program," the soon-to-be head of the [Department of Government Efficiency]() (DOGE) hasn't mentioned specifically that Artemis is [massively over-budget and behind schedule]() to boot. Mark Kelly, a former astronaut who was briefly considered a [contender for the Democratic vice presidential nod](), suggested that investment continues to make the program worthwhile. "We have put a lot of time, effort, and money into Artemis," the Arizona representative told the magazine, "and I think we should allow NASA to complete that mission." Rep. Brian Babin, a Texas Republican who leads the House's space committee, agreed from across the aisle. "To bypass the Moon would be a mistake," Babin reckoned in an interview with *Politico*. ## Curious Silence Thus far, president-elect Donald Trump hasn't joined the fray over NASA's Moon mission, which [launched its first uncrewed craft in 2022]() and is slated to put human boots on lunar soil this decade for the first time in more 50 years. After pushing NASA to get [back to the Moon by 2024]() during his first presidency, Trump has [shown interest in the space agency going to Mars]() since [kindling his on-off bromance with Musk](). Given the real estate mogul's propensity to agree with either [whoever spoke to him most recently]() or whoever [fawns over him the most](), there's little doubt that Musk could sway the president-elect to go forth with his Martian pet project over the costly lunar mission. Should that be the case, however, Congress won't likely go down without a fight. "There would be a lot of congressional resistance," Casey Drier, the head of space policy at the nonprofit Planetary Society, told *Politico.* Never one to back down from a battle, Musk has, as *Politico* notes, [threatened to primary any Republicans]() who oppose Trump's cabinet nominations — and there's no reason he couldn't exert similar pressure on his Mars-over-Moon agenda. **More on Musk's politicking:** [*MAGA Figures Turn on Elon Musk for Not Hating Immigrants Enough*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()