NASA has revealed a concept for the next generation of flight on the Red Planet, the "Mars Chopper." Credit: Space.com | animation courtesy: NASA/JPL-Caltech | edited by Steve Spaleta Music: Last Odys

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — President Donald Trump is withdrawing his nomination of billionaire entrepreneur Jared Isaacman to lead NASA, multiple sources confirmed Saturday, just days before the Senate was scheduled to vote on his confirmation.

A number of high-profile missions would get the axe, including the New Horizons Pluto probe and Juno Jupiter orbiter.

I'm incredibly excited, as part of the Ars Live series, to host a conversation with some of the very best space reporters in the business this afternoon, May 29, at 3 pm EDT about the future of NASA and its deep space exploration ambitions. You can watch Ars Live here.

US President Donald Trump wants to tap the private sector to pave the way for human missions to Mars in a proposal that closely aligns with the goals of Elon Musk.

The US government proposes a $1 billion investment in Mars exploration and over $7 billion for lunar missions, prioritizing human spaceflight and private sector partnerships.

America's space dominance has been built largely in Louisiana and Mississippi. But the current budget could mean cuts for the program. That would be a mistake, argues Tish Williams of the Partners of Stennis and Michoud of Michoud.

Though little is known about Deimos, another European spacecraft recently captured unprecedented views of the moon's far side. The Hera mission, which will study the asteroid NASA intentionally crashed into three years ago, flew by the Red Planet on March 12, just 11 days after the rover looked up.