2025.04.09

• Europe & Americas

Navigating Uncertainty in U.S. Space Policy: Decoding Elon Musk’s Influence(Geoeconomic Briefing)

When President Trump declared in his second inauguration speech that "launching American astronauts to plant the Stars and Stripes on the planet Mars." Elon Musk, who was present at the venue, broke into a broad smile and pumped his fist in triumph. This is because for several months leading up to that moment, Musk had been strongly advocating for Mars exploration, making statements such as, "we’re going straight to Mars. The Moon is a distraction.” However, since 2019, when the first Trump administration established the “Artemis Program”, U.S. policy has been to first return to the Moon and then aim for Mars—the Moon was positioned as a proving ground for a future Mars exploration. Trump’s declaration on Mars therefore suggests a potential reversal of that policy. The question whether this reflects Musk’s close proximity to the President, and if he is exerting influence capable of shifting longstanding U.S. space policy. Although Musk’s influence extends across the entire realm of U.S. space policy, this article specifically focuses on Musk’s influence on human space exploration. After reviewing the Artemis Program, it organizes Musk’s influence into three distinct channels.