The founder of SpaceX, although the beneficiary of multibillion-dollar contracts for the development of a lunar landing system and logistical services for the future Lunar Gateway station, questions the lunar strategy of the American space agency. According to him, NASA is wasting time by aiming for the Moon: the main objective is Mars, in his eyes.
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Elon Musk aims for Mars rather than the Moon
On December 25, Elon Musk declared on his social network X: “The architecture of Artemis is extremely inefficient, because it is a program that maximizes jobs, not results. Something entirely new is needed.” before adding: “Let's go straight to Mars. The Moon is a distraction.”
The statements of the billionaire described as “tyrant” by Sam Altman, head of OpenAI, contradict NASA's plans. The US space agency is aiming for a series of manned missions to the lunar south pole and the installation of a permanent base in the coming years. However, SpaceX has a major role in the Artemis program, particularly through the development of the lunar landing system.
In the private sphere, Elon Musk has always been critical of the slowness of the Artemis program and its dependence on cost-plus government contracts instead of results. NASA has established partnerships with Boeing and Lockheed Martin, now being called into question in the face of private launchers like SpaceX's Starship and Blue Origin's New Glenn.
NASA faces international competition, particularly from China. The US space agency is seeking to establish a presence on the Moon. The space race involves American industry but also the European Space Agency and other international partners aligned with the Artemis program.
Debates over the path the US space program should take are nothing new. In 2019, the administration called for a “correction majeure” of NASA's trajectory. However, the architecture of the program was not modified in the face of institutional and political resistance.
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