WASHINGTON, D.C.: U.S. President Donald Trump's choice to lead NASA, Jared Isaacman, has told lawmakers that sending astronauts back to the moon will stay NASA's top goal. This has eased fears that Trump's space plans might focus only on Mars instead.

Since becoming president, Trump has mostly talked about going to Mars and rarely mentioned the moon. This worried U.S. space contractors and allies who have already spent years and money preparing for moon missions.

Isaacman, a billionaire businessman chosen by Trump in December, told Senate staff last week that it's vital for the U.S. to return to the moon before China does, according to three people who know about the meetings. The sources asked not to be named because the talks were private.

Last week, Isaacman also met with Senator Ted Cruz, who leads the Senate Commerce Committee. Cruz's home state of Texas is where NASA's Johnson Space Center is located—a key place for the moon program. According to two sources, in the meeting, Isaacman said he supported the moon effort.

During Trump's first term, he sped up NASA's moon plans and named the program Artemis. This program includes many private companies and has received hundreds of millions of dollars from the U.S. government. The idea is to use the moon as a stepping stone for future missions to Mars.

However, Trump recently said in his inauguration speech that he wants to send astronauts directly to Mars, raising doubts about whether the Artemis program will continue.

Meanwhile, Elon Musk — who gave $250 million to Trump's campaign and supported Isaacman's nomination — has said the moon is a distraction from his goal to reach Mars. "Stopping at the Moon simply slows down getting to Mars," Musk posted last week on social media.

Isaacman is the CEO of Shift4 Payments and has flown to space twice on missions with Musk's company, SpaceX. He has spent hundreds of millions on these private flights.

Isaacman is expected to appear before the Senate Commerce Committee this week for a hearing on his nomination. Lawmakers will likely ask him about his ties to SpaceX and his support for the moon program.