Returning American astronauts to the moon in 2024, and then sending pioneers on to Mars in the next decade, remains a top priority for the Trump administration, Vice President Mike Pence stressed.

“The president has made it clear that we’re going to accomplish this goal by any means necessary,” Pence said Wednesday (Feb. 19) during a speech to employees at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Virginia.

“In order to succeed, we are going to continue to focus on the mission over the means,” added Pence, who also chairs the policy-steering National Space Council. “We want to challenge each one of you here at Langley: Consider every available option and platform to meet our goals, including industry, government — the entire American space enterprise.”

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