What Are the Chances of Trump's "American Flag on Mars" Idea Coming True?... Rival Powers Compete in Exploration Race

On the 20th (local time), President Donald Trump signing various executive orders immediately after the inauguration. EPA·Yonhap News

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President Donald Trump stated in his inaugural speech that he would plant the American flag on Mars, sparking speculation that a manned spacecraft to Mars might be launched from the United States during his term. Currently, NASA and SpaceX, operated by Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), are conducting a manned Mars exploration project. Not only the United States but also China, Russia, and European countries are rushing into Mars exploration, and competition for building manned bases and colonizing Mars is expected to intensify in the future.

On the 20th (local time), Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, delivering his inauguration speech as the head of the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Photo by AFP and Yonhap News.

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On the 20th (local time), President Trump said at his inauguration, "We will extend our obvious destiny into space so that American astronauts can plant the American flag on Mars," adding, "The pioneering spirit is engraved in our hearts." However, he did not explain any specific plans related to future Mars exploration.

Following this statement, the possibility of launching a manned Mars spacecraft from the United States during President Trump's term has been raised. Last September, CEO Musk also stated, "We will send a manned spacecraft to Mars within five years," and "We will sequentially launch large manned spacecraft to Mars and relocate one million people by 2050 to carry out colonization." In fact, SpaceX is currently conducting a manned Mars exploration project in collaboration with NASA.

NASA's manned Mars exploration project is called 'Moon to Mars' and a dedicated organization was established in 2023. It is linked with the Artemis project, which is currently planning to build a manned lunar base, aiming to first establish a manned base on the Moon and use it as a foothold to advance to Mars. Plans include space launch vehicles, exploration spacecraft, and space station installations, with SpaceX responsible for launching spacecraft and transporting supplies to Earth's orbit.

The U.S. political media outlet Politico reported, "The Trump administration may revise the current plan linking the Moon and Mars to send a manned spacecraft to Mars before the Moon," adding, "CEO Musk posted on X (formerly Twitter) earlier this month, 'We will go straight to Mars. The Moon is a distraction.'"

The image of Mars taken by the Hubble Telescope, released by NASA in November last year. Photo by Reuters and Yonhap News Agency

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Not only the United States but also China, Russia, and European countries are accelerating their Mars exploration projects. As the Trump administration appears to be rushing its Mars colonization plans, competition among countries for Mars exploration is expected to intensify.

According to space specialist media Space.com, China, which was a relatively latecomer compared to the United States and Russia, succeeded in landing the unmanned Tianwen-1 spacecraft on the surface of Mars in 2021. China plans to send two spacecraft to Mars by 2028 and return samples collected from the Martian surface to Earth by 2031. Additionally, China is cooperating with Russia to build a manned lunar base by the 2030s and has long-term plans to send manned spacecraft to Mars based on this.

Russia was conducting the 'ExoMars' Mars exploration project jointly with the 22 member countries of the European Space Agency (ESA) until the Ukraine war in 2022, but ESA declared the suspension of cooperation with Russia after the outbreak, causing the project to be canceled. Currently, Russia is cooperating with China in the space industry and is reportedly producing unmanned and manned spacecraft for Mars exploration. ESA, having suspended cooperation with Russia, is now pursuing joint Mars exploration with NASA.

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