“We will pursue our manifest destiny into the stars, launching American astronauts to plant the Stars and Stripes on the planet Mars.”
These words from President Donald J. Trump’s inaugural address on Jan. 20, 2025 — repeated at the joint address to Congress on March 4 — echo the ambitious spirit of President John F. Kennedy’s 1962 “We choose to go to the Moon…” declaration at Rice University. Although the current administration’s plans remain unclear — and caution is warranted when interpreting a single sentence — it is noteworthy how both addresses aimed to fire up national pride and inspire a leap into the great unknown.
But before we dust off the old “giant leap for mankind” rhetoric and head to Mars, let’s take a moment to reflect on Apollo — not to diminish its legacy, but to ensure we’re not repeating its “plant a flag and go home” approach while overlooking opportunities for something far greater.
What Apollo taught us
The Apollo program, while a monumental achievement, was ultimately a demonstration of Cold War prowess — a geopolitical triumph rather than a long-term exploration strategy. Its singular focus on beating the Soviet Union to the moon concealed critical flaws that would take decades to become fully apparent. Apollo’s goal was clear: land Americans on the Moon before the Soviets. It was never designed to sustain exploration beyond that. And once that objective was achieved in 1969 and followed by a handful of repeat missions, political support evaporated, leaving neither a lasting rationale nor infrastructure for ongoing exploration. The missions succeeded in planting a flag but left little in the way of enduring capabilities — a missed opportunity to create a springboard for future exploration.
Just as significantly, the program fostered minimal economic integration. Admittedly, it inspired significant technological advances, not the least of which is today’s software and computing industry, but it failed to establish a framework for integrating space exploration into the global economy. It was a government-driven effort, isolated from private-sector growth or economic sustainability.
In 1962, Apollo was the future. By 1972, Apollo was history — an inspiring series of missions that ended without continuity.
Mars ahoy: smarter this time?
The President’s declaration of planting “the American flag on the planet Mars,” raises questions about whether we are charting a new course or retracing old steps. If not addressed, these could reduce Mars exploration to another fleeting historic moment.
One concern is placing geopolitical motivations above sustainability. The “space race” narrative persists, substituting “Mars” for “moon” and “China” for the “Soviet Union.” This risks prioritizing speed and symbolism over strategic planning. A mission designed to plant a flag on Mars may win headlines but will do little to ensure we won’t be walking into another half-century long retreat to low-Earth orbit. Even if we assume that sending humans directly to Mars is the right next step — that itself remains an open question — simply repeating a “flags and footprints” approach is clearly the wrong way to go. Unlike the Cold War, today’s competition isn’t about a single milestone. America’s real challenge is not beating China to Mars but sustaining a presence in space over the long haul. Treating Mars as a spectacle rather than a stepping stone will leave the United States vulnerable to losing ground in the long-term game of space leadership.
A second is insufficient infrastructure planning. If the mission is simply to get there, we’re setting ourselves up for failure. Without investing in technologies such as in-situ resource utilization for fuel production, high power systems or scalable habitats, missions to Mars and anywhere else in the solar system will remain unsustainable and prohibitively expensive. This isn’t about perfectionism; it’s about building the foundation for a sustainable long-term presence, without which every Mars mission will be a costly dead-end rather than a stepping stone for future exploration.
A third mistake would be to go it alone. Apollo was a U.S.-centric program, for obvious reasons. However, a similar approach to Mars would be a missed opportunity. Failing to engage international partners means losing out on innovation, cost-sharing and global buy-in. Space exploration is a long game, and a strategy that excludes allies risks making Mars another isolated moment of temporary U.S. dominance rather than the foundation of lasting leadership.
Lastly, there is the matter of economic viability. While Mars itself will likely not drive a space economy, nor will its resources be useful for Earth, the economic benefits of Mars exploration must come from the industries, workforce, and technological advancements needed to get there. Mars missions that fail to connect back to Earth — both economically and in other critical areas — risk losing public and political support.
If we fail to address these risks, Mars could become just another Apollo: an extraordinary feat that inspires the world—only to be followed by decades of stagnation
Opportunities to avoid the mistakes of Apollo
Mars exploration must repeat the brilliance of Apollo without mimicking its shortcomings. By learning from the past, we can create a program that is both inspiring and sustainable. Here are five suggestions to consider:
Align with broader goals: A mission to Mars should not be an isolated endeavor but a part of a broader space strategy that advances societal and scientific objectives. Its true value lies not just in reaching the Red Planet, but in what follows—how it advances exploration, fuels technological innovation, strengthens economic growth, fosters global collaboration, engages the public, and inspires future generations.
Leverage the moon as a proving ground: Proximity to the moon allows us to develop, refine, and validate the technologies, infrastructure, and operational strategies needed for sustained missions to Mars and beyond. By building a strong foundation on the moon, we can reduce risks, lower costs, and ensure that human exploration of Mars is based on proven, scalable innovations rather than a blind leap into the unknown.
Integrate Mars into the economy: Mars itself is unlikely to be a direct economic driver, but the effort to reach it will be. To sustain exploration, we must demonstrate tangible, long-term returns for taxpayers that extend beyond scientific discovery. These can include the creation of new industries, skilled job growth and the significant advances in areas such as materials science, robotics, AI and health technologies that would follow a successful Mars mission — innovations that ultimately benefit everyday life and the broader economy. Facilitating private-sector participation can help generate revenue streams and broaden public support, ensuring Mars exploration is not simply a symbolic achievement.
Develop sustainable infrastructure: The United States must expand reusability and sustainability beyond just rockets (though that they are intended to be fully reusable is a good start) and invest in other scalable, extensible infrastructure such as habitats that can grow with the mission’s needs, or autonomous systems for maintaining equipment and habitats without constant human intervention. These and other innovations not only reduce costs but enable a resilient and long-term human presence on Mars and other worlds.
Foster international collaboration: Even if full-scale international cooperation is not immediately possible, partnerships among nations and between the public and private sectors would accelerate progress, reduce costs, and provide for political sustainability. Engaging global players will not only share the burden but also ensure that Mars exploration becomes a shared human achievement.
President Kennedy’s 1962 challenge committed the nation to the Apollo program, but not what happened on the day after the race was won. President Trump’s call for a Mars mission presents a similar challenge: will it be a fleeting achievement or a foundation for the future? Going to Mars has to be about the future on the day we land as much as it is about the future today. By prioritizing sustainability, collaboration and economic integration — and by using the moon as a proving ground for Mars — we can ensure that Mars exploration is not reduced to another flag-planting exercise but is the start of a multiplanetary legacy worthy of its ambition.
Boldness and vision are essential, but so is a strategy that turns dreams into enduring achievements. Crucially, we must remember that missions to the moon and Mars are not competitors any more than our right and left feet; rather, each serves a distinct and complementary role on humanity’s path to the stars. Going to Mars must be as much about what happens after landing as it is about reaching the surface.
The author extends sincere thanks to Ryan Faith and Brent Sherwood for their thoughtful reviews.
Bhavya Lal is the former Acting Chief Technologist and Associate Administrator for Technology, Policy, and Strategy at NASA.
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