Donald Trump and Elon Musk appeared together at SpaceX's Starship launch in Texas to show off their deepening friendship. The occasion underscored their common vision for U.S. space exploration in the future as Trump hailed the mission while Musk thanked the president for coming.
Joined by Senator Ted Cruz, this moment means a lot for the space agency. Aside from technological advancements, the partnership could mean that the newly-elected President can help mold the space policy in the country.
Starship's Sixth Test Flight Wasn't Perfect
As Sky News reports, Starship's latest test flight demonstrated some remarkable advancements but also experienced setbacks. The rocket was successfully launched and accomplished its main objective of demonstrating upgrades to the hardware and software. Its first-stage booster didn't get recovered as had been planned, with the vehicle opting to splash down into the Gulf of Mexico in a controlled manner.
The upper stage completed a suborbital flight before splashing down in the Indian Ocean where it fragmented and sank.
Despite these challenges, SpaceX continues with the spirit of learning from expendable prototypes to drive innovation. Modifying heat shields were streamlined during this flight and marked the first successful in-space reignition of a Raptor engine.
Read More: Bluesky Hits 20 Million Users After X Subscribers' Migration: Will It Surpass Instagram Threads?
Closer Trump-Musk Partnership on SpaceX Sighting
It is increasingly evident that Musk runs close to Trump, with the entrepreneur playing a very influential role in shaping Republican policy on space.
Now that Musk is the head of DOGE (not the crypto meme coin), but the newly-established department known as the Department of Government Efficiency, Trump believes his "first buddy" will be by his side every time he goes out.
With SpaceX holding billions in US government contracts for lunar and Mars missions, Musk's presence by Trump makes complete sense of them maintaining common interests toward advancing private-sector-leadership space exploration.
According to The Guardian, the victory of Trump will also mean that NASA's future depends on him since Donald has the power to designate the people who will manage the agency.
With Musk calling for Mars colonization within four years and with the administration considering privatizing the space endeavor, SpaceX is well placed to dominate U.S. space activities.
Trump is Interested About Martian Exploration
Trump has indicated that he would like to see people land on Mars within his second term. For SpaceX to achieve this, it clearly needs rapid progress in its rocket abilities and capabilities without parallel.
Starship's thrust capability and payload carry are critical factors that guarantee it a leading role in lunar and Martian missions of the future.
SpaceX is expected to carry out more launches starting next year. With Trump now on Elon's side, expect to see more surprising launches within the space exploration sector.
In another report by Tech Times, Tech CEOs believe that US-based companies will continue their dominant approach in the industry. However, this would cause Europe-based firms to lag behind them.
As a result, a coalition of tech leaders from the region plans to launch a "Europe-first strategy" that promises to be "fair" to everyone.
