Trump says NASA should stop talking about going back to the Moon

US President Donald Trump tweeted on Friday that NASA should stop talking about going back to the Moon, which caused confusion since his administration aims to restart Moon landings by 2024.

"For all the money we are spending, NASA should NOT be talking about going to the Moon - We did that 50 years ago," Trump tweeted from Air Force One while returning from a visit to Europe.

"They should be focused on the much bigger things we are doing, including Mars (of which the Moon is a part), Defense and Science!" Trump said.

Trump's exact meaning was uncertain, but he may have been urging the US space agency to put more of a focus on the voyage to Mars, with the Moon serving as just a stepping stone.

Vice President Mike Pence announced plans in April to return to the Moon by 2024 although some space experts doubt whether the deadline can be met.

On its website, NASA, which made six manned Apollo missions to the Moon between 1969 and 1972, says that "exploration of the Moon and Mars is intertwined."
Trump rarely tweets about space or NASA, leaving the agency in the hands of Pence and focusing more on its military aspects such as the creation of a "space force."