Donald Trump’s presidential win on Tuesday could mean an easier path forward for the dreams of billionaires Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos as they ramp up their space race with SpaceX and Blue Origin.

Musk has been in Trump’s corner for months, and hinted at how his second presidency will benefit the likes of commercial space interests, pinning the statement, “America is a nation of builders Soon, you will be free to build,” to his account on X.

The future is gonna be fantastic pic.twitter.com/I46tFsHxs3

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 6, 2024

He also posted an image of the in-development Starship and Super Heavy blasting off from SpaceX’s Texas site Starbase saying, “The future is gonna be fantastic.”

Musk and SpaceX have brought their frustrations with the Federal Aviation Administration to the public forum this year as the rocket company has faced delays in launch approvals for the world’s most powerful rocket. The FAA also grounded SpaceX’s workhorse Falcon 9 twice requiring investigations after launch issues, and then announced a series of fines for SpaceX launch licenses for missions flown in 2023 from the Space Coast.

“For nearly two years, SpaceX has voiced its concerns with the FAA’s inability to keep pace with the commercial spaceflight industry,” SpaceX posted to X. “It is clear that the Agency lacks the resources to timely review licensing materials, but also focuses its limited resources on areas unrelated to public safety. These distractions continue to directly threaten national priorities and undercut American industry’s ability to innovate.”

Musk said several times in the weeks leading up to the election there is too much regulation in federal government, and it’s slowing down progress. He said he would be willing to participate in the new Trump administration leading a government efficiency department.

Bezos, whose Blue Origin rocket company is aiming for the first launch of its New Glenn rocket potentially before the end of the month, also chimed in his approval of Trump’s victory.

Big congratulations to our 45th and now 47th President on an extraordinary political comeback and decisive victory. No nation has bigger opportunities. Wishing @realDonaldTrump all success in leading and uniting the America we all love.

— Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) November 6, 2024

“Big congratulations to our 45th and now 47th President on an extraordinary political comeback and decisive victory. No nation has bigger opportunities. Wishing @realDonaldTrump all success in leading and uniting the America we all love,” he said.

Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp chimed into say, “Echoing Jeff’s congrats here. Exciting times for space exploration are ahead of us.”

Bezos, who owns the Washington Post, was criticized by many for his decision to have the paper not endorse a candidate this year for president.

Both SpaceX and Blue Origin have contracts with NASA to develop a lunar landing system for the Artemis program.

A version of Starship is supposed to take part in the Artemis III mission as early as September 2026 to bring two astronauts including the first woman to the surface of the moon, which could be the first humans to return to the moon since the end of the Apollo program in 1972.

Blue Origin’s Blue Moon lander has also won a lunar landing contract for future Artemis missions.

Musk’s long-term goals are to develop a colony on Mars, and Bezos’ Blue Origin’s vision statement is “millions of people living and working in space for the benefit of Earth.”

Although the Biden administration continued the Artemis program’s efforts and pushed for the awarding of competing contracts to both Musk’s and Bezos’ companies, the two have signaled this election season that their efforts could be more easily achieved if Trump were back in office.

In his first presidency, Trump pushed for the Artemis program, which was facing continued timeline delays and increased costs, to achieve the moon landing by 2024. Under Biden, the timeline shifted back with Artemis II still on the calendar for September 2025 and the moon landing of Artemis III one year later.

Those dates, though, are threatened by issues found during what was considered a successful Artemis I mission in 2022. That includes major damage to the Orion crew capsule seen after reentry. The solution to that from NASA and Orion’s prime contractor Lockheed Martin remains unclear.

And while the Space Launch System rocket did its job, the cost to develop it from prime contractor Boeing, has had its constant critics, with NASA’s Office of the Inspector General in 2023 raising the specter than NASA should consider using Blue Origin, SpaceX or other commercial providers to achieve what SLS is designed for.

It suggested flexible contracts for future SLS acquisitions “that will allow NASA to pivot to other commercial alternatives.”

“These commercial ventures will likely capitalize on multiple technological innovations,” the audit reads. “Further driving down costs is the competition between aerospace companies such as SpaceX, ULA, and Blue Origin, with both SpaceX and Blue Origin currently developing reusable medium- and heavy-lift launch vehicles that will compete with NASA’s SLS single-use rocket.”