NASA has plans to return humans to the moon with the Artemis mission—but Elon Musk’s preference for Mars could have influence in the Trump administration.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is calling for NASA to ditch its Moon program, arguing that the "Moon is a distraction" and that "we're going straight to Mars" instead in a recent tweet. In a separate tweet on Christmas Day,

Elon Musk emphasizes that Mars is crucial for human survival, envisioning it as a backup plan against Earth's fragility. His SpaceX's Starship aims for affordable interplanetary travel, with plans for uncrewed missions over the next two years.

Elon Musk has taken aim at NASA for focusing on exploring the Moon rather than launching missions to Mars. The Red Planet has long been a primary goal for the SpaceX CEO, who hopes to establish a human colony there within his lifetime.

Germany has said that Musk's attempts to influence the coming German election are futile as the Tesla CEO voices support for the far right. The UK's Starmer and France's Macron echoed the German government's sentiments.