Trump Wants $1 Billion for Private-Sector-Led Mars Exploration

US President Donald Trump wants to tap the private sector to pave the way for human missions to Mars in a proposal that closely aligns with the goals of Elon Musk.

The White House’s 2026 budget proposal, released late on Friday, calls for allocating more than $1 billion for Mars exploration, including a new NASA initiative called the Commercial Mars Payload Services Program (CMPS). Under the proposal, NASA would award contracts to companies developing spacesuits, communications systems and a human-rated landing vehicle to foster exploration of the Red Planet.

Trump’s proposed $18.8 billion NASA budget would cut the ...