Donald Trump is now back in office as the 47th President of the US, and one of his first declarations in his inaugural speech is sending American astronauts to Mars, framing it as an extension of “manifest destiny” into space.
The announcement, which drew visible enthusiasm from SpaceX CEO and superdonor Elon Musk in attendance, is an ambitious shift in U.S. space policy. “We will pursue our manifest destiny into the stars, launching American astronauts to plant the Stars and Stripes on the planet Mars,” Trump declared, connecting America’s 19th-century westward expansion to a new era of space exploration.
It’s no coincidence that this vision perfectly aligns with SpaceX’s existing Mars ambitions. Musk, who contributed significantly to Trump’s campaign with approximately $250 million in donations, has outlined an aggressive timeline for Mars exploration. SpaceX plans to launch uncrewed Starships to Mars within two years, followed by crewed missions as early as 2028.
However, public support for Mars exploration remains mixed. A 2019 poll found that only about 30% of Americans considered sending astronauts to Mars “very” or “extremely” important, while 40% viewed it as not particularly important.
Trump’s announcement is certainly a big departure from previous administrations’ space policies. While Obama’s NASA aimed for orbital Mars missions in the 2030s, Trump’s vision implies a more accelerated timeline.
Obviously, he would prefer to have the first man to land on the Red Planet happen within his last term, but this will be no simple feat given the technical challenges, the six-month journey time, and substantial funding requirements.
SpaceX’s vision for Mars extends beyond exploration to governance, which should be a point of concern for all nations around the world. According to their Starlink terms of service, the company considers Mars a “free planet” independent from Earth-based government authority.
By that logic, whoever gets a human to the Red Planet first will have the right to colonize it without any restrictions from Earth-based governments.
Since this ambitious plan will largely depend on collaboration between NASA, private space companies, and Congressional support, there’s a lot of time left before any decision on the planet’s governance can be made. Who knows, maybe other life forms have already claimed the planet and we’re simply oblivious to it.
