Trump Orders NASA: Moon First, Mars on Hold

President Donald Trump has changed the primary goal for U.S. space exploration. He signed an executive order directing NASA to focus on returning Americans to the Moon. The new target is a Moon landing by 2028. This replaces the administration's earlier, more ambitious goal of reaching Mars. The previous aim was to put an American flag on Mars before the end of the President's current term. That four-year deadline is now considered unrealistic by many experts. This order signals a major shift in priorities for NASA. The U.S. space agency must now reorganize its plans and resources around the lunar mission. The last human Moon landing was in 1972. A return would require building new rockets, landers, and lunar base technology.