A new star has lit up, Donald Trump described in his victory speech late on election night in Palm Beach, Florida, USA.
Incredible guy, super genius, Trump late.
The praise was aimed at the world’s richest man, a technology entrepreneur To Elon Musk.
Trump’s overflowing praise attracted the attention of many media: why is Musk suddenly so important to Trump? And what, on the other hand, made Musk become Trump’s most passionate supporter at the end of the election?
The reason may be that Trump and Musk have decided to conquer the planet Mars together.
The claim may sound ridiculous – except when it is said by a professor of computational space physics at the University of Helsinki Minna Palmroth.
Palmroth serves as the chairman of Finland’s National Committee for International Space Research. He gives an interview from abroad about a meeting in the space industry.
– I have received confirmation on the matter from a few insider sources. The US may attempt a manned mission to Mars during Trump’s term, says Palmroth.
There have been rumors about it for a long time. Trump said at an October campaign event taking care of “an American astronaut to Mars”.
The new oligarch?
According to Musk, his space company SpaceX could launch unmanned flights to Mars within two years. Musk has planned a manned flight for 2028.
If Trump serves his full term, 2028 would be his last as president. The conquest of Mars would be an incredible climax to Trump’s story.
– A flight to Mars would be a good way to divert the thinking of suffering people from their own problems. The rest of the world would probably admit that America is great again, says Palmroth.
Now that Trump is starting to command NASA, Musk has the opportunity of a lifetime to implement even his most ambitious projects.
The world’s richest man can also become one of the world’s most influential in the Trump era. Financial media Bloomberg supplier by Max Chafkin According to him, Musk is now best described by a term familiar from Russia: oligarch.
– (Musk) is both a political actor and a very wealthy capitalist, Chafkin says in his podcast.
Musk’s shares soared
Trump is a great risk investment for Musk, known for his bold business decisions.
Musk spent a little more on Trump’s election campaign 130 million dollars.
This was a pittance compared to Trump’s victory increased Musk’s wealth over 20 billion dollars in one night. This was because the share value of Musk’s electric car company Tesla rose to its highest level since 2022.
In addition to the financial benefit, Musk may get some sort of role in the Trump administration. Both have hinted at some kind of role for Musk in making the federal government more effective.
Musk is a famous cutter: he fired 80 percent Of the employees of the X message service after purchasing the service.
It is possible that Musk is trying to keep some kind of smell gap to the Trump administration in public. It was remarkable that he did not take the stage at Trump’s victory party in Florida, even though he had spent the election night with him.
However, a possible role in administration is not the first thing: attention should be directed to space.
The US federal government has made Musk the leading gambler in the space industry: SpaceX has received at least $15 billion in federal government procurement contracts over the past ten years, The New York Times reported.
SpaceX flies federal satellites into orbit quickly and affordably. The company has also built a massive network of Starlink satellites that provide communications links.
As if quietly, SpaceX has become an important part of the network of US arms companies and government administration, alongside companies like Lockheed Martin, RTX Corporation and Northrop Grumman. However, SpaceX does not make weapons, but instead flies satellites into orbit for the US defense forces and the intelligence community.
With Trump’s victory, the cooperation between Musk and the US federal government will at least not decrease.
Trump has also promised to dismantle, among other things, emission restrictions and environmental regulation, which Musk has called “as the biggest threats to the Mars flight“. Heavily polluting rocket launches are not necessarily compatible with stricter emission restrictions.
Minna Palmroth urges to pay particular attention to NASA. Palmroth thinks that the big Mars project could be implemented with SpaceX’s rockets and US tax money.
– Usually the president has ordered NASA’s most visible project. Lately it has been alternating between the Moon and Mars. Now the bangs can be put on going to Mars.
What is clear is that a Mars flight would be a colossal project that could fail in a number of different ways. First of all, Trump and Musk should be persuaded on the side of the US space project.
– Almost all the American space people I know are Democrats. The Mars adventure depends on these people making it happen, says Palmroth.
Sources: Business Insider, Reuters, ABC News, The Hill, The Verge, Ars Technica, Bloomberg