Distract, Divert, Defund Congress is none too pleased after Elon Musk declared that "the Moon is a distraction" and that NASA should instead be going "straight to Mars." As Politico reports, lawmakers who control NASA's budget are prepared to fight back against Musk's apparent plan to kibosh the space agency's forthcoming lunar landing in favor of his long-running Martian dreams.

Simultaneous launches signal growing private interest in lunar exploration, traditionally dominated by governments.

Merritt Island, United States - January 15, 2025 A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches with two commercial lunar landers from Launch Complex-39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on Jan. 15, 2025.