President Donald Trump signed a space policy directive last week formally directing NASA to return humans to the moon, then to use that experience to attempt a visit to Mars. This further refines NASA’s direction for deep solar system exploration in that it clearly leans on a ‘stepping stone’ approach to solar system exploration starting with the moon. But with one hand he giveth and with the other he taketh away; the humans-to-an-asteroid mission is dead.

Trump’s declaration applies only to the national space agency; it has no effect on commercial space companies, several of whom are still pressing forward with plans to get to Mars sooner than NASA. Last week, Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin rocket company conducted a successful test flight.