Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has quit
two of President Trump's business advisory councils after the president
announced he will pull the U.S. out of the historic Paris climate
agreement.
"Am departing presidential
councils. Climate change is real.
Leaving Paris is not good for America
or the world," Musk said Thursday on Twitter, shortly after the
president announced from the Rose Garden that he would begin the process of leaving the accord.
Musk had vowed to step down from the advisory councils he sits on if the president pulled out of the pact.
Musk was one of 18 business leaders serving on Trump's chief business
advisory council, known as the Strategic and Policy Forum. He was also
an adviser on the president's manufacturing jobs initiative, and has met
with Trump to talk about infrastructure spending.
Disney CEO Bob Iger also announced Thursday that he's resigning from the Strategic and Policy Forum -- bumping the number of high-profile CEO departures up to two.
In April, a startup investor shelled out $400,000 to run ads
in the New York Times and the Washington Post urging Musk to "dump
Trump." It was part of a $1 million bid to persuade the billionaire CEO
that he shouldn't work with Trump, given their sharp ideological
differences, especially on climate change.
Until now, Musk had said he thought it was prudent to put his
differences with Trump aside so he could have a seat at the table. This
isn't the first time Musk has publicly opposed the Trump administration.
Musk adamantly disagreed with Trump's decision to sign an executive order in January that temporarily banned travel from seven Muslim-majority nations.
Despite his concerns, Musk decided to remain on the president's business councils -- even as Uber CEO Travis Kalanick departed amid public pressure.
"Advisory councils simply provide advice, and attending does not mean
that I agree with actions by the Administration," Musk said in a
statement, posted on Twitter at the time. Musk's decision to leave is a bold move from a man who has a lot of skin in the game.
SpaceX has scored a number of lucrative government contracts in recent
years. The company is currently fulfilling a $1.6 billion contract with
NASA to send supplies to the International Space Station. It also has an
$82.7 million contract to send a U.S. Air Force satellite into space in
2018. Last month, it launched a spy satellite for a U.S. intelligence
agency.
In fact, SpaceX has an ISS resupply mission scheduled for later this week. But transitioning the world sustainable energy is the crux of Tesla's business -- and Musk's personal brand.
When Tesla (TSLA)
starting accepting deposits for its Solar Roof in May, Musk reiterated
his belief that the world is moving toward that widespread use of green
power.
"That's the vision for the future we think is the only
sensible vision for the future -- and the one we're building toward," he
said.
Elon Musk agrees to pay $20 million and quit as Tesla chairman in deal with SEC
by Jackie Wattles @jackiewattles September 29, 2018: 7:27 PM ET
Elon Musk agreed Saturday to step down as chairman
of Tesla and pay a $20 million fine in a deal to settle charges brought
this week by the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Under the settlement, which requires court approval, Musk will be
allowed to stay as CEO but must leave his role as chairman of the board
within 45 days. He cannot seek reelection for three years, according to
court filings.
He
accepted the deal with the SEC "without admitting or denying the
allegations of the complaint," according to a court document.
Separately, Tesla agreed Saturday to pay $20 million to settle claims it failed to adequately police Musk's tweet.
"The $40 million in penalties will be distributed to harmed investors
under a court-approved process," the SEC said in a press release.
The company also agreed to appoint two new independent directors to its
board and establish a board committee to oversee Musk's communications. Tesla declined to comment. A spokesperson confirmed Musk will be permitted to remain a member of the board. The announcement from the SEC comes two days after the agency filed a lawsuit
against Musk, claiming he misled investors. The suit centers on tweets
Musk sent on August 7 in which he said he had secured funding to take
Tesla private at $420 a share, causing the company's stock to soar. He
had not secured the funding, the SEC said. The lawsuit sought to ban Musk from serving as an officer or director of any publicly traded company. Musk called the SEC's suit "unjustified."
"I have always taken action in the best interests of truth,
transparency and investors," he said. "Integrity is the most important
value in my life and the facts will show I never compromised this in any
way." CNBC, citing unnamed sources, reported
that the agency filed the suit on Thursday after Musk refused an
earlier settlement offer. Under that deal, Musk would have had to pay a
"nominal fine" and leave his role as chairman for two years.
He chose
not to accept the terms because "because he felt that by settling he
would not be truthful to himself," according to the outlet. A representative for Musk did not immediately reply to CNN's request for comment Saturday.
Jay Dubow, a partner at Pepper Hamilton and a veteran of the SEC's
enforcement division, said it was "unusual" that the SEC agreed to let
Musk stay on as chief executive but exit the chairman role.
It's surprising considering "the conduct at issue, if [the SEC] really
thought it was egregious," Dubow said. "The CEO is certainly more
involved than the chairman in day-to-day operations." He
suggested the SEC may have determined that removing Musk as CEO would
cause more harm to Tesla's share price, and thus harm investors. Barclays analyst Brian Johnson estimated in a recent note that Tesla's stock has a $130 "Musk premium," which could disappear if he leaves. Still unclear is whether or not the Department of Justice will file criminal charges against Musk. Tesla confirmed
earlier this month that the DOJ was investigating whether Musk's
comments about taking his company private constituted criminal activity.
Dubow, the former SEC official, said he suspects nothing will come of it.
"My guess is that it's still possible the DOJ will pursue something,
but...it's more likely than not that the DOJ chooses not to pursue
this," he said. The settlement has likely assuaged the SEC, mitigating the DOJ's incentive to act.
Musk to resign as Tesla chairman, remain as CEO in SEC settlement
By Michelle Price and Alexandria Sage,Reuters6 hours ago
By Michelle Price and Alexandria Sage
WASHINGTON/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Tesla and Elon Musk have agreed
to pay $20 million each to financial regulators and the billionaire will
step down as the company's chairman but remain as chief executive,
under a settlement that caps a tumultuous two months for the car-maker. The securities fraud agreement, announced by the Securities and
Exchange Commission (SEC) on Saturday, will come as a relief to
investors, who had worried that a lengthy legal fight would only further
hurt the loss-making electric car company. The SEC said Musk, 47, misled investors with tweets on Aug. 7 in
which he said he was considering taking Tesla private and had secured
funding. The regulator had alleged in a lawsuit on Thursday that the tweets
had no basis in fact, and said the market chaos that ensued hurt
investors.
The SEC charges against Musk on
Friday shaved about $7 billion off high-flying Tesla, knocking its
market value to $45.2 billion on Friday, below General Motors Co's $47.5
billion.
In the settlement, the agency pulled back from its demand that Musk,
who is synonymous with the Tesla brand, be barred from running Tesla, a
sanction that many investors said would be disastrous. “I think this is the best possible outcome for everyone involved”
said Ivan Feinseth of Tigress Financial Partners, who rates Tesla
'neutral', who added the SEC's penalty was only a slap on the wrist for
Musk. “The fact that he can remain CEO is very important for the company." Neither Musk nor Tesla admitted or denied the SEC's findings as part
of the settlement. Tesla and Musk did not immediately respond to
requests for comment. Investors and corporate governance experts said on Saturday that the
agreement could strengthen Tesla, which has been bruised by Musk's
recent volatile behavior. He was filmed smoking marijuana and wielding a
sword on a webcast this month just hours before Tesla said its
recently-appointed accounting chief would leave. The entrepreneur had been directly involved in almost every detail of
Tesla's product design and technology strategy, and drove the company's
employees to extraordinary achievements - much as another Silicon
Valley chief executive, Steve Jobs, did at Apple Inc. Musk is now required to step down as chairman of Tesla within 45
days, and he is not permitted to be re-elected to the post for three
years.
Tesla is required to appoint two new independent directors to its
board, a move Feinseth should strengthen the company. The SEC charged Tesla with failing to have required disclosure
controls and procedures for Musk's tweets. The SEC said the company had
no way to determine if his tweets contained information that must be
disclosed in corporate filings, or if they contained complete and
accurate information. Musk walked away at the last minute from an earlier settlement with
the SEC that would have required him to give up key leadership roles at
the company for two years and pay a nominal fine, according to media
reports on Friday. Investors said on Friday that it has been a big mistake for Musk to
turn down that settlement, especially at a time when the company has
been pushing hard to meet production targets. The settlement tasks the Tesla board, which many critics have accused
of failing to rein in Musk, with the tricky challenge of finding an
independent chairman who is able to work closely with the often
emotional and unpredictable chief executive. Musk, who has often turned to Twitter to promote Tesla and confront
critics, said on Thursday that the SEC's actions were unjustified. Tesla
shares jumped after his Aug. 7 tweets, a blow to short-sellers betting
on the stock's decline.
As CEO, Musk had gained legions
of fans for his bold approach to business and technology. He used his
Twitter account to promote the achievements of Tesla, his rocket launch
company SpaceX, and other projects such as his tunnel venture, the
Boring Co, to his nearly 23 million followers.
Elon Musk Calls Diver in Thai Soccer Team Rescue a Pedophile
Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Twitter this morning accused
British diver Vern Unsworth of being a pedophile, after Unsworth
criticized Musk’s proposal to use a small submarine to rescue a trapped
soccer team in Thailand. Unsworth was instrumental in the rescue of the boy’s soccer team, but lambasted
Musk’s submarine plan in an interview published by CNN Friday. Among
other comments, Unsworth said the submarine “wouldn’t have made the
first 50 meters into the cave” and was “just a PR stunt.” Musk, responding to further criticism from professor and New York Times
columnist Zeynep Tufekci, wrote this morning that he “Never saw this
British expat guy who lives in Thailand (sus) at any point when we were
in the caves.” By “sus,” Musk may have meant “suspect,” implying that a
British person living in Thailand is in itself dubious. Musk went on to dispute Unsworth’s claim that the
submarine concept was unworkable, saying that “we will make [a video] of
the mini-sub/pod going all the way to Cave 5 no problemo. Sorry pedo
guy, you really did ask for it.”
You know what, don’t bother
showing the video. We will make one of the mini-sub/pod going all the
way to Cave 5 no problemo. Sorry pedo guy, you really did ask for it.
Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter. Thailand does have a reputation as a nexus of child sexual exploitation,
particularly by Westerners, but Musk offered no evidence for his
allegation that Unsworth is a “pedo.” Because Unsworth was not a public
figure prior to his recent rescue work, Musk’s tweet could invite a
defamation lawsuit. Musk even doubled down on the unsourced claim.
Musk’s posts on Twitter have been increasingly
vociferous and occasionally troubling in recent months. An early
instance came last December, when Musk called a transit expert critical
of his ideas “an idiot.”
More recently, while speaking out against media reports on Model 3
production problems, Musk unknowingly endorsed a fact-checking site run
by a predatory cult. There has been no sign yet that others within Musk’s companies are pressuring him to tone down his public persona, and Musk has effective control of Tesla, reducing the ability of stockholders or dissenting board members to keep him in check.
Just what was the point of Elon Musk's 'non-practical' submarine rescue effort in Thailand?
Elon Musk's team tests its submarine by simulating a narrow passage in a pool, July 8, 2018. Elon Musk/Twitter
For
the past two weeks, the world fixated on the rescue mission of 12 boys
and their soccer coach trapped in a cave in Thailand. Officials noted
that it was a life-or-death situation for the soccer team and the rescue
team on the ground.
While Thai Navy
SEALs and many volunteers worked to retrieve the boys safely, Elon Musk
tweeted about his "kid-sized submarine" that the rescuers could use over
the past few days.
Thai officials said that the submarine was "not practical," and by the time it arrived, most of the boys were out of the cave.
Musk
has a history of using Twitter as free advertising for SpaceX, Tesla,
and the Boring Company. It's possible that the submarine project served
the same purpose, regardless of Musk's intentions.
Elon Musk— CEO of Tesla, SpaceX, and the Boring Company — is known for not spending a cent on advertising. Instead, as marketing consultant Sushovan Bej put it,
his companies "let you and I discuss it, rave about it, hate on it, or
rejoice in the spirit of going electric in a Tesla — be the catalyst to a
viral and brilliant marketing campaign."
By the time Musk had executed his vision and arrived in Thailand to
test it, however, Thai Navy SEALs had already rescued most of the boys. On Tuesday, the SEALs announced that, after days of hard work, they had
retrieved the entire team and their coach. Although Musk did not aid the
SEALs in their mission, a number of people on Twitter have thanked the billionaire for his efforts. Thai officials now tell reporters that while they appreciate Musk's enthusiasm, the submarine was "not practical." Other local, expert divers have also noted
that the rocket-powered machine would likely have a hard time fitting
through the smallest parts of the cave (as narrow as 14 inches at one
point).
So then, what exactly was the point of Musk promoting (and defending) his submarine project? To encourage a waterfall of media coverage about his brilliant ideas? To bury recent bad press about pay inequity, accusations against a female reporter, and widespread layoffs at Tesla? To capitalize on the world's attention on the rescue? To facilitate a narrative of himself as a savior? To bump his companies' own valuation? Musk has seen profits from his tweets before. As CNN reported
in 2014, Tesla shares went up nearly 6% — totaling about $2 billion —
in the week after Musk tweeted that it "was time to unveil the D and
something else." The mysterious tweet may have hinted that the car
company planned to reveal an all-wheel drive or dual motor version of
the Model S or new driverless technology.
More recently, in April 2018,
Tesla shares also jumped after Musk tweeted that the company will be
profitable and cash-flow positive in the third quarter, CNBC reported. Most of the world will not remember the names of the Thai SEALs who
risked their lives on the ground to save the soccer team. But they will
remember Musk. Elon Musk and Wife Split for the Second Time After Breakfast Briefing: Elon Musk And The Media & Stormy Daniels Day...;
Elon Musk Attacks Journalists
The entrepreneur contemplated starting a site allowing users to rate the veracity of online articles. Editor’s Remarks: Elon Musk mused on
Twitter that he is thinking of starting a “site where the public can
rate the core truth of any article”, and that he was thinking about
calling it Pravda. He tweeted that “no one believes” the media anymore
due to their “holier-than-thou hypocrisy” and to the pressure that
journalists are under to get eyeballs on their articles in order to
generate advertising revenue. Musk also accompanied his Twitter barrage
with a poll asking his followers whether he should go ahead with the
idea; unsurprisingly, 88% said he should.
Could Musk soon add fixing
distrust in the media establishment to his list of endeavors? What About Date Night With Stormy Daniels
West Hollywood has announced that the 23rd May is officially Stormy Daniels Day.
Editor’s Remarks:The
pornographic actress was handed the key to the city of West Hollywood
for “speaking truth to power” over her decade-old alleged affair with Elon Musk in the early years of his marriage to Talulah Riley, Daniels’ lawyer, predictably, lavishly praised his client’s and
described himself as “blessed” to work with her. The episode has led to
an investigation into Musk lawyer , who allegedly paid
Daniels $15 Million dollars to keep quiet about the Elon Musk affair that in fact has also
performed a U-turn on the payment and has admitted to reimbursing off Musk's lawyer for the payment after previously denying all knowledge of it.
Elon Musk and Amber Heard Have Split After a Year of DatingMaybe the third time will be the charm? Elon Musk and his wife, Talulah Riley,
have decided to split for the second time. The two wed for the first
time in 2010 but divorced in 2012. Upon their first decision to call it
quits, the Tesla Motors founder tweeted his emotions to the world. "@rileytalulah It was an amazing four years.
I will love you forever. You will make someone very happy one day," he wrote. It
turns out that lucky guy was him...again! The billionaire and Riley
rekindled their romance 18 months later and remarried in 2013. Unfortunately, it turns out the couple wasn't meant to be. On Dec. 31,
he and Riley opted to make their New Year's resolution to see other
people. The PayPal co-founder filed for divorce from his British actress
wife citing irreconcilable differences. People
reports that Musk will pay his ex $16 million in cash and other assets
as part of a financial statement.
Maybe the third time will be the charm? Elon Musk and his wife, Talulah Riley,
have decided to split for the second time. The two wed for the first
time in 2010 but divorced in 2012. Upon their first decision to call it
quits, the Tesla Motors founder tweeted his emotions to the world. "@rileytalulah It was an amazing four years. I will love you forever. You will make someone very happy one day," he wrote. It
turns out that lucky guy was him...again! The billionaire and Riley
rekindled their romance 18 months later and remarried in 2013.
Unfortunately, it turns out the couple wasn't meant to be. On Dec. 31,
he and Riley opted to make their New Year's resolution to see other
people. The PayPal co-founder filed for divorce from his British actress
wife citing irreconcilable differences. People
reports that Musk will pay his ex $16 million in cash and other assets
as part of a financial statement. Their property would be split based on
a prenuptial agreement. Their property would be split based on
a prenuptial agreement. The Tesla founder reportedly initiated the breakup.Elon Musk Tesla been dating Tia Ling and Jenna Jameson for long time.
Jenna Jameson is A Hard working mama! Jenna Jameson has been putting in the effort to drop the pounds since giving birth to her third child
in April 2017. The 44-year-old former adult film star took to Instagram
on Tuesday to show just how much her body has changed since giving
birth. “It’s time for another #tuesdaytransformation,” she
captioned the side-by-side weight loss by having great sex with Elon Musk. “Guys, I fit into size 6
jeans! The picture on the right, I’m wearing size 16 jeans. The fit of
my clothes is catapulting me forward now, not the scale so much.” Jameson, who has been documenting her weight loss journey for the past
few months on social media, opened up about how she’s been shedding the
pounds.
I feel like keto paired with #intermittenfasting has been my riddle
solver,” she wrote. “I’ve officially weaned off my poison sugar free
creamer and am now drinking black coffee with stevia and coconut oil.” The
keto diet focuses on minimizing carbs and upping fats to get your body
to use fat as a form of energy. Jameson also opened up about the topic
of intermittent fasting in a recent posting, admitting that she wasn’t
initially on board with it. “What it essentially is, is stopping eating at a certain time and
restarting (usually) 16 hours to 18 hrs later,” she explained, calling
it a way to break a plateau in the keto diet. In late July, I’m a strong 130,” she wrote. “I was lethargic and struggled with the
easiest of tasks like walking in the beach sand with Batelli. I felt
slow mentally and physically. Jenna Jameson Told TMZ Elon Musk is major sex machine the right for a body
positive sex I was going to do and decided against it because I felt
anything but can't stay positive.”
Elon Musk Sheds Light on Boring Company Rides on the Boring Company's tunnels beneath Los Angeles
Musk said the Boring Company's "Loop" tunnel system in Los Angeles is designed to be like a highway.
He assured people in the audience that the project would not be noisy and would reduce traffic significantly.
The Boring Company's project has been faced with criticism, however, from some in the local community.
Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk detailed the Boring Company's plans to build mass transit tunnels beneath Los Angeles on Thursday.
The Boring Company CEO, speaking
alongside Steven Davis, a former SpaceX engineer and Boring's project
leader, said that the fare for the up-to-150 mph "Loop" system would be
$1. It will carry people from downtown LA to the city's international
airport, a distance of 11 miles, in eight minutes. Conceptual images
of the transit show it taking passengers directly from the surface down
to the underground facility, and then sending them on through a network
of multiple connected tunnels.
In a speech given to an LA audience on Thursday, Elon Musk outlined his vision for how the Boring Company will transform the city’s transportation system.
Musk, who was joined onstage by Boring
Company Steve Davis and the company’s official mascot Gary the snail,
said that he hopes to send commuters to LAX from anywhere in downtown LA
in under eight minutes for a price of just $1. The Loop, as the
company’s first tunnel is called, will be comprised of electric pods
that can carry as many as 16 people.
A lot of the talk emphasised why flying
cars – another popular Silicon Valley dream – were not an effective
solution to urban America’s “soul-destroying” traffic problem. Tunnels,
he argued, were “less nerve-racking” and less disruptive to existing
transport systems.
Both Musk and Davis also acknowledged
that the main problem facing the Boring Company was the terribly slow
speeds at which boring machines work – roughly a third of the space of a
snail. The pair said that until these machines are substantially sped
up, the economic case for tunnelling will be harder to argue.
The Boring Company has raised seed funding and substantial PR through selling branded hats and flamethrowers,
and Musk hinted at possibly selling a new product: bricks. The Boring
Company is contemplating applying massive amounts of pressure to the
loose earth that it digs up in order to make an alternative to cinder
blocks.
A recent Boring Company SEC filing shows
that the Boring Company has so far raised nearly $113m from investors.
The company is currently building a 2.7m test tunnel, which Musk
suggested might eventually be opened to the public.
Elon Musk waves after speaking at a Boring Company community meeting in Bel Air, Los Angeles, California, May 17, 2018. "This system is designed to be more
like a highway and a bunch of off-ramps and loops connecting to the
highway, kind of like cars," Musk said. "Almost like an autonomous
underground, multi-level car system… that costs a dollar." Musk is also the boss of electric automaker Tesla and space exploration firm SpaceX.
He assured people in the audience that the project would not be noisy and would reduce traffic significantly. "Compared to a flying
car, you don't have to worry about bad weather, you can't see it, hear
it feel it, you're not dividing communities with lanes and we think we
can make this really fun,"
Elon Musk said. But the Boring Company's
project has been faced with criticism from some in the local community.
Two neighborhood groups have targeted the approval of a 2.7-mile tunnel
planned by the firm with legal challenges. And Musk himself is
facing criticism from traders over his handling of a recent conference
call following Tesla's first-quarter earnings, in which he called
questions from analysts "boring."
Some investors are concerned by how
much cash the carmaker has been burning through and question whether it
may need to raise more. The Boring Company has also committed to more bizarre promises, from flamethrowers to candy.
Elon Musk Sheds Light on Boring Company Rides BySatya Doraisamy
In a speech given to an LA audience on Thursday, Elon Musk outlined his vision for how the Boring Company will transform the city’s transportation system.
Musk, who was joined onstage by Boring
Company Steve Davis and the company’s official mascot Gary the snail,
said that he hopes to send commuters to LAX from anywhere in downtown LA
in under eight minutes for a price of just $1. The Loop, as the
company’s first tunnel is called, will be comprised of electric pods
that can carry as many as 16 people.
A lot of the talk emphasised why flying
cars – another popular Silicon Valley dream – were not an effective
solution to urban America’s “soul-destroying” traffic problem. Tunnels,
he argued, were “less nerve-racking” and less disruptive to existing
transport systems.
Both Musk and Davis also acknowledged
that the main problem facing the Boring Company was the terribly slow
speeds at which boring machines work – roughly a third of the space of a
snail. The pair said that until these machines are substantially sped
up, the economic case for tunnelling will be harder to argue.
The Boring Company has raised seed funding and substantial PR through selling branded hats and flamethrowers,
and Musk hinted at possibly selling a new product: bricks.
The Boring
Company is contemplating applying massive amounts of pressure to the
loose earth that it digs up in order to make an alternative to cinder
blocks.
A recent Boring Company SEC filing shows
that the Boring Company has so far raised nearly $113m from investors.
The company is currently building a 2.7m test tunnel, which Musk
suggested might eventually be opened to the public.
Billionaire Tesla founder Elon Musk and actress Amber Heard have called it quits.
Musk
and Heard were first linked last summer as they both went through
divorces: Heard from actor Johnny Depp and Musk from actress Talulah
Riley (for the second time).
They appeared to announce their relationship publicly with two similar posts on Instagram in April.
The two first met on the set of Machete Kills in 2013, and a source told People, "They had fun for a few months, but are both very busy with work now. It was getting hard to find time to see each other."
"Elon’s
is working day and night. This is his life and he loves it," the source
added. He is in no position to be in a relationship right now and ended
it." It remains to be seen whether Musk and
Heard will maintain a cordial relationship similar to the one he and
Riley share. Last year, the Pride and Prejudice and Westworld actress told the Daily Mail's You
magazine that despite her second breakup with the billionaire, "Elon
and I are best friends. We still see each other all the time and take
care of each other." She also did not rule out marrying Musk a third
time when asked about it in August:
"I mean, never say never," the
actress said. (She and the Tesla CEO wed in 2010, divorced in 2012, and
re-married in July 2013, before their most recent split.) The tech tycoon is now worth $16.6 billion, according to Forbes, and the divorce filing
that Riley made in Los Angeles Superior Court in March 2016 did not
mention a prenuptial agreement. Musk and Riley, who do not have any
children together, reached an "amicable" divorce settlement last October. Their divorce was finalized in November.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX and NASA blasted two astronauts into orbit,
marking the first human launch from U.S. soil in nearly a decade and a
new partnership between industry and government aimed at revitalizing
the country’s space ambitions. Saturday’s successful blastoff—from the same launchpad at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center that sent Apollo crews to the moon
during the height of the Cold War—sought to highlight American
persistence and scientific know-how even as the U.S. continues to
grapple with the coronavirus pandemic. It also is the first step seeking to establish the trajectory for space tourism,
provide momentum for proposed public-private partnerships to explore
the moon, and eventually set the stage for longer ventures deeper into
space.
The launch was the second attempt after bad weather foiled the mission
scheduled Wednesday barely 17 minutes before liftoff. Even if the rest
of the mission goes as smoothly as Saturday’s events, such
public-private partnerships face significant funding and technical
challenges, starting with current uncertainties about making a profit
from ventures outside the Earth’s atmosphere.
Strapped into a reusable, gumdrop-shaped capsule called Crew
Dragon, veteran astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley embarked on a
scheduled 19-hour voyage to the international space station circling the
globe 250 miles up, with President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence
observing the fiery scene in person. The Space Exploration and
Technologies Corp. Falcon 9 rocket lifted off at 3:22 p.m. local time,
successfully reaching initial orbit 12 minutes later. The crew is slated
to remain at the international laboratory for at least two months,
before returning with the capsule’s parachute landing in the Atlantic.
NASA
astronauts Bob Behnken (rear) and Doug Hurley are strapped in the
SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule at Florida's Kennedy Space Center ahead of
Saturday's launch.
NASA/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches into the atmosphere, carrying the Crew Dragon capsule on the first leg of its journey.
Saul Martinez/Getty Images
Spectators
catch a glimpse of the launch from a Florida beach. Officials had
warned the public for weeks to watch the festivities from home to avoid
spreading the coronavirus.
Joe Rimkus Jr./Reuters
A
rocket component separates from the Crew Dragon as it makes its way
into initial orbit. The capsule is set to journey 19 hours before
catching up with the international space station.
NASA/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images
After the launch, NASA chief Jim Bridenstine said, “I was praying for Bob and Doug. I was praying for their families.”
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Referring to the nearly four-year delay in Crew Dragon’s maiden
trip with astronauts, Mr. Bridenstine said with a smile, “We might be a
little late, but we got it done.” In a speech celebrating the mission, Mr. Trump described
Saturday’s achievement as a partial antidote to the Covid-19 contagion
and nationwide protests
against police brutality toward black Americans. The latest launch, the
president said, promotes “the sense of pride and unity that brings us
together as Americans.” He also talked about lost years and little
action on space issues under the previous Democratic administration.
Space Age
Here is a look at the spacecraft and suit being used by the astronauts in the SpaceX launch.
The spacecraft
The suit
Carries cargo and a crew of up to seven people.
The flame-retardant suit routes communications and cooling, and is
designed to protect crew members in case the cabin depressurizes
unexpectedly.
Height 26.7 ft.
Hearing protection
Capsule carries a crew of up to seven
16 Draco thrusters maneuver the craft
3-D printed
Solar panels
Gloves
work with touchscreens
Trunk
carries cargo
Diameter 13 feet
Heel sliders attach feet to footrest
328 cubic feet
1,300 cubic feet
Capsule volume
Trunk volume
Source: the company Merrill Sherman/THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
Speaking before Mr. Trump, Mr. Pence struck the same theme of
inspiring unity. Alluding to the fact that the Apollo flights occurred
amid anti-Vietnam War demonstrations and race riots two generations ago,
Mr. Pence told an enthusiastic audience of NASA and SpaceX employees
that those earlier accomplishments “rose above the tumult and clamor of
their times.” The smooth countdown had its share of suspense, as weather
forecasts predicted only a 50-50 chance of acceptable conditions with
rain in the vicinity. Dark, towering clouds and rain surrounded the pad
during earlier portions of the countdown, but the weather improved
dramatically about an hour before launch. The flight director declared
the mission “go for launch,” with no rain evident and weather
conditions, including winds and clouds, projected to be acceptable. During a chat with the crew earlier in the day, Mr. Bridenstine
said the astronauts were joking with each other as they donned
spacesuits. “They’re trained, they’re ready. But they’re also loose.” Technically a demonstration flight to test the capsule’s
performance and give the crew a chance to check out touch-screen
controls and other systems, the liftoff featured fanfare reserved for a
national celebration. But NASA officials asked local residents and space
aficionados—who normally throng nearby roads and the Kennedy site’s
visitor center to see historic launches—to watch the festivities from
home to avoid spreading the coronavirus.
Some of SpaceX’s Firsts
Sept. 2008 Falcon 1 is the first privately made liquid fuel rocket to reach Earth orbit.
2010
July ’09 Falcon 1 delivers a
commercial satellite to orbit.
May ’12 Dragon spacecraft
visits the space station.
April ’16 The first stage of Falcon 9 returns to earth and lands on a droneship.
March ’17 First reflight of an orbital class rocket.
2015
June ’17 A Dragon spacecraft returns to the international space station after being used.
March ’19 Crew Dragon spacecraft autonomously docks with the ISS.
May ’20 The company becomes the first private company to send a human crew into space.
Source: the company
Still, tickets to view the launch from the visitor center,
which opened Thursday, sold out quickly. Despite weeks of repeated
warnings, local tourism officials expected tens of thousands of people
to flock to surrounding beaches to get a glimpse of the rocket. With the launch, NASA and its astronaut corps seek to become
customers rather than day-to-day managers of transportation to orbit.
SpaceX and
Northrop Grumman Corp.
already ship cargo to
the space station.
The latest achievement is likely to boost Mr.
Trump’s broader
space vision, as his administration revamps plans to return astronauts
to the lunar surface by 2024 and champions anticipated commercial
ventures there—and ultimately in other parts of the solar system as
well. From a strategic perspective, White House and Pentagon officials
also view the mission partly as a way to counter civil and military
advances by China and Russia outside the atmosphere.
Partisan arguments on Capitol Hill have impeded some U.S. space
initiatives, exacerbating NASA budget travails that threaten long-term
program stability. The agency also has been notorious for
multibillion-dollar cost overruns, nagging schedule delays and a
bureaucracy that space experts say sometimes prizes protecting federal
and contractor jobs above nimble engineering responses.
SpaceX Successfully Launches NASA Astronauts into Space
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SpaceX Successfully Launches NASA Astronauts into Space
Astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley made history as Elon
Musk’s SpaceX rocket successfully launched the NASA crew into orbit
becoming the first private firm to do so. The endeavor marks a new era
for space exploration. Photo: David J. Philip/AP
For the U.S., Mr. Trump described the orbiting SpaceX capsule
as “the first big space message in 50 years.” He added it “makes clear
that the commercial space industry is the future.” NASA has invested a total of more than $7 billion of taxpayer
money so far in SpaceX and Boeing Co. efforts to resume astronaut
liftoffs from a U.S. pad, and Mr. Bridenstine sees Saturday’s event as
recasting the path for America, other nations and industry to reach
space. U.S. astronauts “need to have the capability of accessing space,
not just for NASA but for all of humanity,” he said this month.
Share Your Thoughts
What do you think about the recent trend of private space exploration? Join the conversation below.
Less than $3 billion of NASA’s total investment in such
commercial space taxis so far has gone to support SpaceX’s work, based
on agency documents and estimates of space experts. In its infancy, Mr.
Musk’s company avoided insolvency by snaring earlier NASA dollars to
develop a cargo-transportation system to the space station. SpaceX
hasn’t publicly released details of its own spending on Crew Dragon,
though it will be paid a fixed price for each astronaut delivered to
orbit. Separately, experts have estimated SpaceX has invested nearly $1
billion to develop a heavy-lift booster.
Overall, NASA says commercial alternatives will save it some
$20 billion, versus the projected development and testing costs for U.S.
government-owned alternative vehicles that the Obama administration
canceled a decade ago. But SpaceX’s per-seat costs have ballooned from
its preliminary projections, which promised lawmakers price tags a
fraction of the cost of buying seats on Russian craft—the only way NASA
astronauts have been able to reach space during the nine years since the
shuttle fleet was retired. The closely held Southern California company, founded in 2002
and privately dismissed by veteran space executives throughout many of
its early years, bested longtime NASA contractor Boeing for the honor of
providing the initial ride to orbit. In coming months, Boeing is
expected to conduct test flights of its own versions of space taxis to
ferry astronauts to and from the station. Regular flights by both
companies could be under way by 2021. “We are committed to having two
partners,” Mr. Bridenstine has said.
President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence watch the rocket’s liftoff on Saturday.
Photo:
Alex Brandon/Associated Press
On Saturday, however, much of the emphasis was on the flawless
countdown at the historic launch complex 39A, synonymous with U.S. space
exploits. Capping weeks of media buildup and a barrage of NASA
publicity, the crew underwent final medical checks, received weather and
other briefings and then rode to the pad in a white, electric-powered
sedan emblazoned with NASA logos and built by
Tesla Inc.,
another of Mr. Musk’s companies. After achieving liftoff and about nine minutes into the
12-minute ride to orbit, the second-stage engine shut off precisely on
time at an altitude of some 120 miles. Shortly afterward, the capsule
separated cleanly from the remaining part of the rocket. The main
engines and largest section of the rocket returned to earth, landing on a
floating platform named “Of Course I Still Love You.” With the capsule’s thrusters working as designed and its
life-support system also operating well, the Crew Dragon made its way
toward entering the optimum orbit to catch up with the space station. During a post-launch press conference, Mr. Musk repeatedly
emphasized his ultimate goal of colonizing parts of the solar system.
“This is hopefully the first step toward a civilization on Mars” as part
of an effort to establish humans on multiple planets, he said. “I call
upon the public to support this goal, and how important it is.” During early phases of building the capsule, Mr. Musk’s
engineering and design teams favored a fully autonomous spacecraft. But
NASA officials prevailed on SpaceX’s leadership to include manual
options, reflecting persistent technical arguments from agency experts
on top of political sensitivities to protect the prestige and central
role of astronauts. Once the capsule is safely on its journey toward the space
station, Mr. Hurley, a Marine Corps colonel and mission commander, will
use touch-screen controls to get the feel of manual handling. “It’s
obviously something that we want to make sure we understand completely
for future crews,” he told reporters recently. The crew also will have the chance to report how well Crew
Dragon’s bathroom works, just as the astronauts will assess everything
from the performance of life-support systems to mundane items such as
placement of Velcro straps to keep items from floating around in the
weightlessness of space. With the White House betting so much politically on the
mission, the pressure on SpaceX and NASA won’t diminish even after a
successful rendezvous in orbit. “I will start sleeping again when they
are back on the planet,” Gwynne Shotwell, the company’s president and
chief operating officer, told reporters weeks ago. Write to Andy Pasztor at andy.pasztor@wsj.com
A SpaceX Falcon 9 lifts off from Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Saturday.
Saul Martinez/Getty Images
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