Overview

• Elon Musk holds a top-secret clearance but is restricted from accessing SpaceX's most classified projects, including its spy satellite program, StarShield.
• SpaceX lawyers advised against pursuing a higher clearance for Musk due to potential risks tied to his past drug use and interactions with foreign officials.
• Musk's clearance process faced delays after his 2018 marijuana use on Joe Rogan's podcast, despite his later compliance with random drug testing requested by NASA.
• Approximately 400 SpaceX employees have access to sensitive compartmented information, and a smaller group can access special access programs, unlike Musk.
• Musk's role in the incoming Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency could grant him direct access to classified information if authorized by the president.