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yesterday

Musk Quits Trump Role and Revives Mars Ambitions After Starship Test Failure

His no-show at a Texas SpaceX briefing following Ship35’s explosive reentry triggered plans for a 2026 crewed Mars mission.

Elon Musk, Chief Executive Officer of SpaceX and Tesla and owner of X looks on during the Milken Conference 2024 Global Conference Sessions at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California, U.S., May 6, 2024. REUTERS/David Swanson/File Photo
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Overview

  • On May 29, Musk’s 130-day term as a Special Government Employee ended as he stepped back from the Trump administration.
  • SpaceX’s Starship prototype Ship35 suffered a rapid unscheduled disassembly during reentry over the Indian Ocean, following a booster failure earlier in the flight.
  • The test failure coincided with Musk’s absence from a delayed Mars colonization briefing at Starbase, leaving employees and fans awaiting an explanation.
  • Musk announced plans to launch the first crewed Starship mission to Mars in 2026, with a Tesla Optimus robot onboard to support initial surface infrastructure.
  • He aims to ramp up Starship production to 1,000 vehicles per year at the Texas facility and will unveil further Mars strategy in a Friday presentation.