Elon Musk is known for “wild” ideas. And we said it in a good way. In July, he announced via a three-hour internet live-stream, for the first time, a “dramatic” new way to connect people’s brain to computers, a project of Neuralink, a company the billionaire formed two years ago.
Last week, on the 11th anniversary of SpaceX’s sending the first private liquid-fueled rocket into orbit, the billionaire unveiled a prototype for Starship, another rocket he hopes to one day fly passengers to the moon and Mars. The first flight test is intended to start next year, with a distance target of 12 miles before returning to Earth.
NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine is convinced. He responded with an arch tweet taking aim at SpaceX’s lack of focus on NASA’s Commercial Crew program. Why the public friction? Starship wasn’t built to fulfill any NASA goals or contracts and appears funded in large part by a Japanese billionaire. On the hand, Crew Dragon, another rocket of SpaceX under contract with NASA, is way behind the schedule.
There is yet another major detractor: the acclaimed energy scientist Vaclav Smil, a well-known author of dozens of complex books on a variety of scientific subjects. He called Musk’s plans for a livable Mars “delusional“.
The Tesla billionaire has been known for his disruptive ideas. And he did make things that were seemingly impossible happen. If the new rocket will be realized as promised, there can be great impacts on our future.
