Updated budget plans by the Trump administration outline a focus on sending astronauts to Mars.
Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought outlined the spending plan in a letter to Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, who chairs the Senate Committee on Appropriations.
The communication points to an increase in planned spending by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). "By allocating over $7 billion for lunar exploration and introducing $1 billion in new investments for Mars-focused programs," the letter outlined, "the Budget ensures that America's human space exploration efforts remain unparalleled, innovative and efficient."
The White House is also proposing cuts in the NASA budget to offset the higher spending for the focus on moon exploration and Mars launches. Among those would be the "Mars Sample Return mission," which the administration said is "grossly over budget" and offers little more return than sending astronauts to Mars.
Some space program observers are surprised at the focus on Mars in what is seen as a surprise switch for the White House.
Politico reported that NASA spokesperson Bethany Stevens said, "We are evaluating every opportunity, including launch windows in 2026 and 2028, to test technologies that will land humans on Mars."
The Mars focus could turn into a lucrative endeavor for SpaceX, according to Politico, since the Elon Musk-owned space enterprise would be at least considered to provide a commercial spaceship to get there.
Musk has been talking about not just landing on Mars but colonizing the planet for nearly the last ten years.