Elon Musk is the CEO of SpaceX which has established close links with NASA in the field of space research and is associated with the International Space Station ferrying astronauts and equipment to the space lab. The company has earned the confidence of the government and is currently involved in the mysterious Zuma spacecraft.
According to Space, a Falcon-9 rocket is scheduled to launch the secret Zuma from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. This will be the third classified launch for the government by Musk’s firm. The launch has been delayed because of severe weather conditions witnessed in the US East Coast this week.
Importance of SpaceX
NASA is entrusted with the responsibility to carry out space research which requires finance and, when the government axes the budget, many of the planned activities take a beating. In such a scenario, private players enter the scene because they have their own visions and priority. That is how Elon Musk entered with his SpaceX. He began by making regular trips to the International Space Station to transport the crew and equipment to and from the Skylab. He also innovated along the way by introducing the concept of reusable rockets to bring down costs and is now involved in top secret projects.
The latest venture of SpaceX is the mysterious Zuma spacecraft for the government.
Earlier it had handled the secret spy satellite project in May 2017 followed by the X-37B robotic space plane in September and Zuma would be the third. Obviously, he has earned their trust and confidence.
The Sun UK adds that the Falcon-8 rocket is designed and manufactured by SpaceX with the purpose of transporting satellites and the Dragon spacecraft into orbit.
It was later given the responsibility of ferrying cargo and astronauts to the International Space Station and back to become the first commercial company to visit the ISS.
Moon mission of SpaceX
Quartz reports that President Donald Trump wants to send humans to the moon to carry out long-term exploration and prepare the groundwork for subsequent missions to Mars and beyond.
Elon Musk could play an important role in this because he wants to design his next rocket for missions to the moon and Mars.
The presence of water on the moon is a major motivation which could pave the way for beginning new activities related to space tourism, asteroid mining or extracting minerals. These would appeal to entrepreneurs because exploiting the natural resources on the moon is certainly an attractive proposition.
Gwynne Shotwell, the president of SpaceX, had indicated in October that it is feasible for the United States to not only have a permanent presence on the moon but also to send Americans to Mars.
Incidentally, other countries also have their eyes on the moon. China plans to send humans there by 2036 while the European Space Agency ESA is keen to promote a lunar village.
