SpaceX fires up giant Starship rocket engines in key test
Al JazeeraFeb 03, 2023
US Pres.-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday joined Elon Musk at SpaceX's Super Heavy Starship rocket launch at the company's facility in Boca Chica, Texas.US Pres.-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday joined Elon Musk at SpaceX's Super Heavy Starship rocket launch at the company's facility in Boca Chica, Texas. The rocket test was successful; the "Super Heavy" booster did not return back to the launch tower, which was possible, and instead splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico.
Reports of Trump's trip first emerged after the Federal Aviation Administration announced a temporary lifting of flight restrictions over his Florida residence and announced a temporary restriction for "VIP movement" over Brownsville, Texas.
SpaceX's Starship, which plays a crucial role in NASA’s Artemis moon program, will test the booster’s landing capture system and the upper stage's splashdown in the Indian Ocean. NASA invested $4M for the company to send astronauts to the lunar surface.
Trump's relationship with Musk is neither a political alliance nor a billionaires club. Both agree with the American people that it's time to gut the bloated bureaucracy, and Musk is the man to do it. The SpaceX CEO's record of efficiency at his own companies has even garnered support from Democrats and bureaucratic agencies. Today's successful launch symbolizes what he can accomplish.
This quid pro quo relationship should frighten anyone who believes businessmen shouldn't regulate themselves. Even some conservatives have warned about corporate-government intermingling due to the obvious conflicts of interest. Musk will undoubtedly strip the government of essential social programs while boosting his own business interests. This Musk-Trump SpaceX spectacle personifies the issue perfectly.