A Nasa mission to the Moon is underway, with the Artemis II spacecraft having blasted off and its astronauts circling the moon. The Trump administration appears to be seizing on the mission as an opportunity to promote its "America First" agenda, while also using the occasion to push for a "trade over aid" approach with other nations. The mission itself is being framed as a significant achievement, with the astronauts being hailed as "modern-day pioneers" and the possibility of new discoveries being raised.