Trump says we're going to Mars. He may be making it harder to get there. President Donald Trump says we’re going to Mars, but don’t start packing your bags just yet. There are a lot of reasons to doubt that his plans will get us to the Red Planet, and he may even put us further behind schedule.

Arrival in early-to-mid December 2028 would place the spacecraft at Mars during northern hemisphere spring, providing favorable conditions for solar power and avoiding dust storm seasons.

With a friend in the White House, the tech billionaire's extraterrestrial ambitions are ready for lift-off - but not everybody is convinced

The United States will once again consider itself a growing nation, one that increases our wealth, expands our territory, builds our cities, raises our expectations and carries our flag

The president’s Inaugural Address linked landing on the Red Planet with Manifest Destiny, but left many of the specifics unclear.

President Donald Trump made a bold promise to America minutes after taking the Oath of Office: pledging that an American flag would be planted on Mars.

The rest of the 400 landings have come courtesy of SpaceX's powerful Falcon Heavy, whose first stage consists of three modified Falcon 9 boosters. (The Heavy can notch three landings on a single mission, but it has flown just 11 times to date.)

During his inaugural address, President Donald Trump said he wants 'American astronauts' on Mars. Where does a future Mars mission currently stand?

In his prepared remarks, Trump, a longtime backer of U.S.-led space exploration and exploitation, singled out Mars and left the moon hanging.

"Americans are explorers, builders, innovators, entrepreneurs and pioneers. The spirit of the frontier is written into our hearts," Trump says.

Elon Musk’s company managed 138 successful orbital launches in 2024 - more than 40 more than the year before. SpaceX CEO Gwynne Shotwell has said that the firm is aiming for even more launches this year, with a good chunk of them being Starship flight tests.

And we will pursue our manifest destiny into the stars, launching American astronauts to plant the stars and stripes on the planet Mars," President Trump said. Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX and newly ...