The Trump administration did not rule out that its pitch to replace the nation’s space launch system could massively benefit Elon Musk.
In an interview with Fox Business Friday, Office of Management and Budget Director Russel Vought refused to clarify if the “Dark MAGA” tech billionaire would be pocketing off of the budget increase.
“The budget phases out the grossly expensive and delayed space launch system,” Fox Business’s Charles Payne
said
. “Is there a chance that Elon Musk could benefit from that?”
“Look, this is a billion-dollar investment in Mars,” stated Vought, who previously worked as an astronaut.
Project 2025
The architect stated, “Our plan includes returning to the Moon through the Artemis program. We have secured funds for this exploratory endeavor, which is accessible to every company. Elon Musk has not participated in discussions about the NASA budget whatsoever. Additionally, we allocate resources towards our initiatives on Mars.”
On Friday, as part of its budget proposal, the Trump administration proposed
reportedly
aiming to cut NASA’s budget by 24 percent compared to the previous year, totaling
largest single-year slice
To the agency in its history, with $6 billion in reductions.
The proposal marks the termination of the Space Launch System rocket and NASA’s
brand new
The Orion spacecraft is part of this vision as well. This plan also includes scrapping the Gateway space station, which plays a key role in one of NASA’s major initiatives—a comprehensive, multistage mission to explore the Moon known as the Artemis program.
Artemis campaign
(Once the U.S. surpasses China in the space race.)
We think that following Artemis, it’s essential to seek out more affordable, commercially available, less expensive spacecraft to avoid the cost overruns, delays, and expenses encountered with the SLS and Orion programs,” Vought explained to Fox. “Our actions won’t interfere with what needs to be done to reach the Moon.
Rather, the White House foresees that future investments in the nation’s space program ought to focus on Mars—a concept easily linked back to the CEO of SpaceX.
Musk has strongly opposed NASA’s Artemis program. In January, he
posted
On point X, he stated that the Moon serves only as a “distraction” and emphasized that his company aims to head directly for Mars.