Mars takes precedence: Elon Musk is attempting to halt NASA's lunar program, as reported (photo included).

SpaceX owner Elon Musk is urging NASA to abandon its lunar program "Artemis," as he believes that instead of planning to land humans on the Moon, efforts should be directed towards Mars. However, this contradicts NASA's long-standing plans, as reported by Futurism.

In his social media platform X, Elon Musk criticized NASA, claiming that the "Artemis" lunar program, which aims to land the first astronauts of this century on the Moon in 2027 and establish a base there, is highly inefficient. Musk argues that NASA's lunar program is more about "job creation than actual results."

This criticism from the SpaceX owner once again highlights Musk's obsession with the idea of creating a city on Mars populated by a million people. He intends to achieve this with the help of the Starship heavy rocket, which underwent several tests last year and was developed by his company.

Interestingly, the "Artemis" lunar program was initiated by Donald Trump, who was elected for a second term as President of the United States during his previous presidency in 2017. Musk is a friend and ally of Trump. Experts believe that Musk's call to bypass the Moon and head straight to Mars is somewhat illogical and shortsighted. Nevertheless, such statements from the billionaire cannot be ignored, given his significant new influence.

Now, Musk wields considerable influence over the political landscape in the U.S., as he recently helped Trump become president and was appointed head of the so-called "Government Efficiency Department," which aims to save $2 trillion from the U.S. budget. Whether this advisory group will target cuts to the "Artemis" program remains to be seen.

With Musk's significant influence, NASA's efforts to land astronauts on the Moon may face serious threats. At the very least, the entire lunar program could undergo significant changes. It's possible that Musk could achieve, in the short term, the cancellation of NASA's costly Space Launch System (SLS) rocket for the lunar program in favor of the Starship rocket.

It is still uncertain how Jared Isaacman, a billionaire and space tourist who has traveled to space twice on a SpaceX spacecraft and a potential future head of NASA, will respond to Musk's calls. He continues to support the existing "Artemis" program plan and believes that "Americans will walk on both the Moon and Mars."

Isaacman’s position directly contradicts Musk's desire to focus all efforts on a mission solely to Mars instead of the Moon. The outcome of this situation may become clear in the near future.

It is worth noting that NASA's lunar program includes the development of a lunar lander for astronauts based on the Starship spacecraft, which is being created by Musk's company.