Speculation is mounting that the Trump administration may scale back or cancel NASA's Artemis missions following the departure of a key official and Boeing's plans to lay off hundreds of employees working on its lunar rocket.

Should it continue the Artemis program and establish a lunar base, or shift its focus directly to Mars? While using the Moon as a stepping stone could be a more efficient approach, a direct Mars mission would be faster but far riskier.

The US space agency is losing four senior officials, insiders say, including a key defender of the Artemis missions Nasa is losing four key senior officials close to its flagship moon programme, according to people familiar with the changes,