The show Musk go on: Elon asks Uncle Sam to let him fly his Starship over Texas, scores fat NASA contract

Pop-star accomplice Elon Musk on Tuesday indicated he hopes to fly his Starship over Texas – and pocketed a major deal to launch a satellite for NASA. The billionaire SpaceX supremo-slash-techno-hobbyist hopes to take Starship to the Moon and beyond with people on-board, eventually. For now, according to documents filed with …

[Charles W.E. Johnson]

Techno Hobbiest?

Really? Musk seem to be the only competent space provider in the U.S.A right now.

[Davidmb]

Re: Techno Hobbiest?

Surprised you got upvoted, when the words "techno-hobbyist" are a link to this piece. That techno.

[Flocke Kroes]

Re: Techno Hobbiest?

Rocket Lab may launch from New Zealand but are in fact an American company. Estes Industries also makes some excellent rockets but I have not heard of one getting over 61km - well below Branson's idea of space. Perhaps if someone makes a three stage Estes rocket...

[MachDiamond]

Re: Techno Hobbiest?

"well below Branson's idea of space"

You mean the 80km mark instead of the international standard of 100km being the threshold of space so his rocket plane riders can call themselves "astronauts"?

[Muscleguy]

Re: Techno Hobbiest?

Rocketlab may be an American company now but the idea and tech to 3D print a rocket engine was the brainchild of two New Zealand engineers who realised they needed investment money.

[adam 40]

Re: Techno Hobbiest?

I'm disappointed that Musk's spaceship has to fly atop a chemical rocket - I thought it might run on batteries.....

[MachDiamond]

Re: Techno Hobbiest?

" I thought it might run on batteries....."

Panasonic pulled out of the partnership so chemicals it is.

[macjules]

...hopes to take Starship to the Moon and beyond with people on-board

I am sure it will be a grand day out.

[PerspexAvenger]

Re: ...hopes to take Starship to the Moon and beyond with people on-board

Well part of the Dragon test payload was a wheel of cheese, so they're on-message there...

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: ...hopes to take Starship to the Moon and beyond with people on-board

>I am sure it will be a grand day out.

It looks a cracking contraption, let's hope he's wearing the right trousers as it could be a close shave between a matter of loaf and death.

[Pascal Monett]

Go Falcon !

And great mention of Carl Sagan's Pale Blue Dot ! If more people realized just how vulnerable we all are, maybe the suffering, poverty and wars would decrease.

[phuzz]

Re: Go Falcon !

"If more people realized just how vulnerable we all are, maybe the suffering, poverty and wars would decrease."

This is human beings we're talking about. It would probably make the fighting worse once they realised how little there is to go around.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Go Falcon !

Not to mention Trump would get annoyed because he couldn't see his wall from space.

[bpfh]

can he get permission for LOHAN?

What actually happened to her after the Spaceport America jaunt fell apart? Has she at least become a gate guardian at Vulture HQ?

[imanidiot]

Nope

*Pedant alert*

"If the launch goes according to plan, it'll be the highest Starship has flown, marking a milestone for Musk."

No it won't be. StarHopper (as it's been nicknamed) wasn't Starship. This new test vehicle won't be Starship proper either. So Starship hasn't flown, and won't fly, until an actual Starship flies.

==> It might not be grammar related, but I'm sure it's pedantic ==>

[Alister]

Fly me to the moon

Fly me to the Moon,

Let me play amongst the stars

Watch as Elon Musk attempts to

land a ship on Mars

In other words, hold my beer,

Starship, your time is near.

[Alistair]

Well I remember

a Starship concert where most of the audience was already flying about the moon.......

(yeah, a whole lot of iterations there)

(yeah, old fart I am)

[Big Al 23]

Come fly me

I feel sorry for any naut flying on SpaceX hardware.

[Intractable Potsherd]

Re: Come fly me

Why?

[MachDiamond]

Re: Come fly me

"Why?"

Big, badda boom,

[Muscleguy]

Re: Come fly me

It's wrong to wish on SpaceX hardware. As Kirsty MacColl almost sang.