As the feud between SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and U.S. President Donald Trump heats up, the Trump administration announced it will provide funding for NASA's Artemis Program to the moon, as well as allocate $1.25 billion to the International Space Station.
The announcements could come as a blow to the billionaire's Mars ambitions, which Musk has been a vocal advocate for. He has shared his desire to colonize the Red Planet on several occasions and SpaceX's Starship rocket is at the forefront of his plans.
However, amid the uncertainty, an old video has resurfaced on social media where Musk had said that he was in talks with Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise about possibly making a "Mission: Impossible" movie in space.
Making the Impossible Possible
The billionaire shared the information when asked by a reporter about what celebrity he would want to take to space. "Tom Cruise has said he wants to do Mission: Impossible in space," Musk said.
When asked if there were any concrete plans, Musk said that the pair had had discussions, but he wasn't sure "where his [Cruise] mind's at."
Musk then shared how SpaceX's Starship rocket was designed to be able to "build a permanent Moon base" as well as "a city on Mars." However, the road to Mars may not be as simple as it looks.
Musk vs Trump and its fallout
While SpaceX regularly collaborates with NASA and recently sent its Dragon rocket to the International Space Station as part of the Ax-4 mission, Musk has encountered some troubles in helping his Mars plans to take flight.
It began following a public falling-out between Musk and Trump over the latter's tax bill. Musk had threatened to withdraw and decommission the Dragon spacecraft, which is a crucial element in NASA's space program. Musk later withdrew his threat.
Shortly after, Trump's initial pick for the NASA administrator role, Jared Isaacman, was removed from his position. Trump said that he had removed Isaacman due to his ‘prior political associations' as Isaacman had reportedly donated funds to a Democratic candidate from the Democrats in the past.
This proved to be a blow for Musk as Isaacman shared the billionaire's ambition for Mars. He had told the U.S. Senate that "We will prioritize sending American astronauts to Mars."
The road ahead
While it may seem like Musk's Mars ambitions are going ahead full steam, things could not be as simple as they seem. With his troubles with Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA), as sales dwindle and Robotaxi facing scrutiny from the NHTSA, Musk's plate could be full right now with his earthly commitments.
As tensions rise between Musk and Trump, with the two having exchanged more jibes at each other publicly, it looks like Musk's plans to put humanity on Martian soil could be delayed.
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