It is well known that the dream, if not the main obsession, of the richest man on the planet is to bring humans to Mars. To try to make it a reality, Elon Musk has not hesitated to found an aerospace company, SpaceX, and launch the development of the most powerful spacecraft in the world - the Starship. The end of 2024 could hardly have ended with better prospects for the magnate, with a new U.S. president about to take office willing to bet on the Martian adventure and consider all his proposals, and with one of his trusted individuals, the businessman and private astronaut Jared Isaacman, nominated by Donald Trump to lead NASA.
In the Starship development plan, immersed in a full testing campaign, there were no less than 25 flights scheduled for 2025, but the three launches that have taken place so far this year - the seventh, eighth, and ninth, carried out in January, March, and May respectively - have ended in explosions. Even another routine test conducted early this morning - which did not include a rocket launch, but a ground test to prepare for the tenth flight - also caused an explosion at the Starbase spaceport in Texas, generating a large fireball.
As SpaceX explained on the X social network, also owned by Musk, the incident did not cause any injuries, and "all personnel are safe." The spacecraft was preparing for its tenth flight when it experienced "a serious anomaly while on a test stand" at the space base, according to the company, which emphasized that "there are no risks to residents living nearby."
The extent of the damage suffered by the facilities and how much they will delay the tenth test flight of the Starship has not been detailed at the moment. The Starship consists of two components, the rocket (Super Heavy) and the capsule, also called Starship. Among the most significant advances is undoubtedly the milestone that has been achieved twice: catching the Super Heavy booster rocket with the large robotic arms Mechazilla when it returns to land minutes after takeoff, a key feat for rapid reuse and cost reduction.
Regarding the latest test flights, the one on January 17 - attended by Donald Trump - ended with the spacecraft exploding shortly after takeoff, but managed to recover the Super Heavy booster for the second time in a controlled manner. During the flight on March 7, the spacecraft also exploded shortly after takeoff, generating a debris cloud that forced part of the airspace to be closed, while during the test on May 27, contact with the spacecraft was lost after 46 minutes, leading to its disintegration in the Indian Ocean when the self-destruct command was activated, preventing the thermal shield from being tested.
Failures and accidents are normal, and even desirable, when developing space components, and all tests are valuable and represent a step forward because they detect flaws. However, the chain of three consecutive explosions and the repetition of failures that had already been experienced during the initial tests in this development phase are beginning to cast doubt on whether SpaceX can meet the commitments made to NASA and its own Martian plan.
And this is despite the fact that the strategy Elon Musk has established for his aerospace company is much bolder than that of space agencies like NASA or ESA, which do not conduct test flights until they have a certain level of confidence that things will go well. In contrast, Musk prefers to launch more frequently and as soon as there is an opportunity, with the aim of quickly detecting faults, which are also resolved quickly, to be able to fly again as soon as possible. In other words: fail fast, learn fast. And it is a strategy that has not only worked well for him but is revolutionizing the entire space sector as he has managed for the first time in history to recover the first stage of rockets to make them reusable - with the aim of reducing the high costs of space launches.
In addition to its fleet of Falcon rockets, which carry out the most private and public mission launches worldwide, SpaceX's successful Dragon spacecraft, both the cargo capsule and the crewed one (Crew Dragon), are added. In fact, currently, the Crew Dragon manned spacecraft are the only ones available to U.S. astronauts to travel to the International Space Station (ISS), due to delays and failures in the development of the Starliner spacecraft being developed by Boeing and the tense relations with the Russians, who have their Soyuz capsule.
With these Dragon spacecraft, SpaceX is also carrying out completely private missions with astronauts who are not part of space agencies. Among them is Jared Isaacman, who has participated in two private space trips and last year became the first private astronaut to perform a spacewalk. The Starship is a much more ambitious vehicle, with the ability to adapt to different missions.
A key piece to reach the Moon
Regarding the consequences of delays in the Starship development, the most immediate goal is to deliver the lunar version of the capsule, the Starship HLS, to NASA as soon as possible. The U.S. chose it for the future crewed Artemis 3 mission. The astronauts who will return to the Moon will descend to the lunar surface aboard a Lunar Starship. The mission has been delayed several times, and is currently scheduled for mid-2027. Artemis 2 is planned for 2026, with four astronauts orbiting the Moon without landing.
Parallel to its commitments with NASA for the return to the Moon program, Donald Trump intends to send an unmanned Starship to Mars within two years. His plan also aims to launch another ship with crew members before the end of the decade, marking the first human journey to the red planet. His influence in the White House already led Trump to commit the U.S. to reaching Mars earlier than previously planned, but the breakdown in relations between the two billionaires has left everything up in the air.
Musk has pressed during the months he was the main advisor to the U.S. president to prioritize Mars over the Moon, causing concern about the future of the Artemis lunar missions, which are initially planned to be carried out with the other super rocket currently in existence, NASA's SLS. The SpaceX founder also intends for his Starship rocket to replace the SLS in the lunar program.
His friend Jared Isaacman will not lead NASA
To make matters worse, to the surprise of the entire space community, Donald Trump decided on June 1 to withdraw the candidacy of businessman Jared Isaacman to lead NASA. He did so hours after Musk resigned from his position in the government when their confrontation became public. The founder of Shift4 Payments, pilot, and private astronaut had already appeared before the Senate committee in April, and it was assumed that he would finally assume his position as the head of the U.S. space agency in a matter of weeks. A NASA that is facing one of its most uncertain times as the Trump Administration has proposed unprecedented cuts to its scientific program. If Congress does not prevent this budget cut for the next year destined for NASA, many exploration missions considered key by the scientific community, in which a lot of money and energy has already been invested, will not be able to be carried out.
So far, there is no information on who will be the next candidate to lead NASA. Since the previous director, Bill Nelson, left, Janet Petro has been serving as acting director.
Despite all these setbacks and tension with Donald Trump, Musk still has a very valuable asset to pressure the U.S. government to continue promoting the Mars program, as NASA depends on SpaceX's rockets and spacecraft for its most important programs and, as we mentioned, for the routine transfer of its astronauts. It is in the best interest of both Musk and Trump to get along and not take their confrontation into space.
Meanwhile, Elon Musk managed last May for his space base Starbase to achieve official city status in Texas despite opposition from environmentalists. This decision grants him greater control over this area near a reserve and a national park. The mayor is the current Vice President of Launches at SpaceX, Bobby Peden.