Trump Pressured to Cancel Costly SLS Moon Rocket Program
President Donald Trump pressured to cancel the costly Space Launch System (SLS) moon rocket program, say sources familiar with the discussions. The move could trigger a political showdown with Republican lawmakers whose districts benefit from thousands of SLS-related jobs.
Push to End SLS Program Gains Momentum
Advisers from the space industry, including six representatives close to Elon Musk, have urged Trump to phase out the $24 billion SLS program. They argue that the program is a financial burden for NASA, despite its central role in the US moon mission.
The SLS program, primarily developed by Boeing and Northrop Grumman, launched for the first time in 2022 after years of delays and rising costs. Critics, including Musk and Trump’s NASA pick Jared Isaacman, consider it outdated and far too expensive. Musk even described SLS as “sad” because of its lack of reusability.
Scaling back SLS would favour Musk’s SpaceX, whose Falcon Heavy rocket offers a more affordable alternative at around $250 million per launch. By comparison, an SLS launch costs between $2 billion and $4 billion.
Political Resistance to Cancelling SLS
Cancelling SLS would affect roughly 28,000 jobs across 44 US states, with the hardest-hit areas being Republican strongholds like Alabama and Texas. Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville, whose state houses 14,000 SLS jobs, expressed confidence in the program’s survival. “The SLS will be fine,” he said, dismissing rumours of cancellation.
NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama is the heart of the SLS workforce. Representative Dale Strong, whose district includes the centre, emphasised the rocket’s importance to national security. He argued that it is not the time to reassess the program, stating, “I don’t think now is the time to check up on it.”
Reusability vs Proven Reliability
Musk and other critics point out that SLS’s non-reusable design makes it costly. SpaceX’s rockets, including its upcoming Starship, are designed to be reusable, significantly reducing costs. However, SLS supporters counter that it is currently the only rocket capable of launching heavy payloads in a single mission, which is crucial for future moon landings.
Former NASA administrator Bill Nelson also defended SLS, saying it will not be cancelled in the next four years. He suggested Trump may want to oversee the next moon landing during his presidency, drawing global attention.
SLS backers argue that despite its troubled history, the program’s reliability and power are unmatched. Representative Brian Babin stressed that SLS remains critical to beating China in the race to the moon by 2030.
While SpaceX’s Starship offers promise, it has yet to prove its operational success in comparison to SLS’s maiden flight in 2022. Supporters insist that scrapping the program would leave the US without the capability to send astronauts to the moon in a single launch.
with inputs from Reuters
