The administration of U.S. President Donald #Trump announced a plan to allocate more than one billion dollars within the 2026 budget to support the exploration of Mars, through a new initiative by NASA known as the "Commercial Mars Payload Services" (CMPS).
📌 The plan aims to award contracts to private companies for the development of space suits, communication systems, and a crewed landing vehicle, in a move aligned with #Elon_Musk's ambitious vision of colonizing the red planet.
📌 NASA's proposed budget is $18.8 billion, representing a 25% decrease compared to the previous year, with significant cuts to science programs according to Bloomberg.
📌 The new program is an extension of NASA's relatively successful model of contracting with private companies for lunar exploration. The plan indicates a reduction in reliance on expensive projects like the SLS rocket and the Orion capsule after three flights, focusing on private sector-led missions to reduce costs and time risks.
📌 The plan is expected to face opposition from some members of Congress, despite the support of NASA's proposed administrator, billionaire tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman, who sees the possibility of parallel exploration of the Moon and Mars.
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