Elon Musk's Starship failed—again. We're all better for it
The latest attempt at space travel by billionaire Elon Musk's company SpaceX failed spectacularly once again last week. After the two previous attempts ended in explosions, last Tuesday's liftoff—the Starship's ninth in total—ended with it spinning uncontrollably about 30 minutes into the flight. The flight also failed to meet other objectives set for the mission, including the deployment of mock satellites into space.
To anyone with an interest in space travel or astronomy in general, this is probably pretty disappointing news. Even Musk's self-proclaimed fanboys are feeling let down after yet another unsuccessful flight. But it's my opinion that this latest technological failure is a blessing in disguise.
Of course, humans have accomplished space travel in the past. But as Musk described in a speech last week, he has a specific ambition: the colonization of Mars. Despite the fact that no human has yet set foot on Mars, let alone figured out how to make its environment habitable for humans, Musk is determined to make life on Mars possible.
This is where the Starship, specifically, factors in: The rocket is the largest ever built, and Musk intends to use it to send an uncrewed mission to Mars by the end of 2026; the eventual goal is to transport private citizens—'hundreds of thousands if not millions' of them—to Mars. He believes that humanity not only can but should secure its future by going to 'the asteroid belt, the moons of Jupiter . . . and other star systems . . . making science fiction no longer fiction.'
advertisement
The extended deadline for Fast Company's Brands That Matter Awards is this Friday, June 6, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Apply today.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Boston Globe
16 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
How Trump got me to turn against America
Advertisement I am rooting for Elon Musk's rockets which employees they could do without, and there's not much evidence that they ever cared. Now I am cheering on Tesla's extremely successful rival in the electric car market, I'm not just rooting for a Chinese company; I'm rooting for China, a despicable police state — maybe I'll stop right there. What kind of a country Advertisement I'm happy that foreign tourists aren't coming here. As far as I'm concerned, stay the hell away. These decisions are affecting people, for instance hospitality workers in New England, who are feeling the sting of Canadian travelers Two friends from Nova Scotia visited Providence, R.I., last week on urgent family business. They told us all their friends asked them: 'Why are you going to America?' If I were planning a trip from abroad, I would visit (the late) Canada as the '51st state' — what a joke. We should be so lucky to be the 11th province, though I doubt they would have us. I've been able to temper my enthusiasm for Harvard University over the years, but you bet I am rooting for it in its absurd Sure, let's shoot ourselves in the foot, or whatever appendage the former World Wrestling Entertainment czarina 'Education' Secretary Linda McMahon deems appropriate. As brilliant scholars ditch US universities for Oxford, Cambridge, the Sorbonne, and Tsinghua University, I'll be egging them on. Advertisement America's greatest strength is its embrace of change, and I'm not someone who believes change has to proceed in a leftward direction. I What's happening now isn't change but cultural suicide. With ignorance celebrated as a virtue, and jingoism masquerading as policy, we will quickly lose our attraction to other countries, and ultimately our own self-esteem. I wish I didn't feel this way, but I do. Alex Beam's column appears regularly in the Globe. Follow him
CNBC
22 minutes ago
- CNBC
Tesla shares sink 5% as Musk continues to bash Trump's spending bill
Shares of Tesla slid about 5% Thursday as CEO Elon Musk continued his relentless pressure on Congress to "KILL" President Donald Trump's spending bill. Musk in recent days has threatened to primary lawmakers who vote for the bill and called it a "disgusting abomination," marking a significant shift in his comments about the administration. The fall in shares comes as the EV maker saw a 22% rally in May despite weak sales numbers, with Musk wrapping his time as Trump's Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. Since Musk left government work Friday, he's distanced himself from the Trump administration and gone on a full assault against the president's signature tax-cut bill. "One of the things about Elon is when he goes all in, he goes all in," Walter Isaacson, who wrote a book about Musk, told CNBC's "Squawk Box" Thursday. "He is somebody who's not exactly calibrated in these things and he is seriously upset," Isaacson said.
Axios
30 minutes ago
- Axios
Democrats try to subpoena Musk in Oversight hearing
Democrats on the House Oversight Committee are trying to subpoena billionaire Tesla owner and former Trump lieutenant Elon Musk for a second time. Why it matters: Democrats think they have even better standing to compel Musk's testimony now that he is out of government, though Republicans are likely to block the move. The move to subpoena Musk came during a hearing on the use of artificial intelligence in the federal government. As the head of DOGE, Musk oversaw the integration of AI — including his own Grok AI — into federal agency workflows to analyze data and try to root out waste fraud and abuse. Flashback: Democrats on the Oversight Committee tried and failed to subpoena Musk in early February, shortly after he took up the reins of DOGE.
