Former US President Donald Trump recently pledged his commitment to reaching Mars during his term in office, should he defeat Vice President Kamala Harris next month. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk will spearhead the mission, as declared by Trump.
Musk joined Trump for a campaign rally held at Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday evening, where Trump made several familiar promises such as closing the US southern border and ending the conflict in Ukraine. Trump also pledged to reach Mars before 2028 and lower energy prices and inflation rates. During his speech, he told the audience, “We will lead the world in space exploration. We will reach Mars before the end of my term.
Addressing Musk directly, Trump asked, “I don’t know, can you do that?” The former president then expressed his confidence in SpaceX and its CEO, stating, “My money’s on that guy [Musk].” During his first term in office, Trump issued several space-related executive orders and policy directives. In 2017, he tasked NASA with leading the return of humans to the Moon, followed by missions to Mars. In 2019, he established the US Space Force as the sixth branch of the country’s military.
Elon Musk has been promising for years to make humanity a “multiplanetary” civilization but blames excessive government regulation for delaying his plans to colonize Mars. Last month, Musk claimed that his reusable ‘Starship’ rocket would be ready for uncrewed flights to Mars within two years and crewed flights two years later. However, the Federal Aviation Administration denied SpaceX permission to test the rocket before November due to environmental concerns, leading Musk to criticize the bureaucratic process in space exploration.
During his first term, Trump advocated for cutting two government regulations for every new one enacted. If elected again, he has vowed to go further, telling the New York Economic Club last month that he would “eliminate a minimum of 10 old regulations for every one regulation” imposed.