Donald Trump is set to sign "Space Policy Directive 1," ordering NASA to lead a space exploration program aimed at sending US astronauts back to the Moon and eventually to Mars, White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said Monday.
"He will change our nation's human spaceflight policy to help America become the driving force for the space industry, gain new knowledge from the cosmos, and spur incredible technology," Gidley said in a statement.
According to the spokesman, the move was prompted by recommendations from the National Space Council.
This is the latest in a series of Trump's executive actions on refocusing the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) core mission back to space exploration.