SpaceX just got what it wanted from the FAA for Texas Starship launches

My guess its because SpaceX is the best chance to complete the moon missions. Its space race time (with China) so time to streamline the regulations.

I think the FAA can see the writing on the wall – with Musk being so closely linked to the President-elect, come January 20 there is going to be a lot of pressure on them from the White House if they aren't keeping SpaceX happy. So might as well get ahead of the pressure and make them happy now.

Why do people hate Elon so much? If the government is gonna be in bed with any capitalist I am ok with it being the guy who has repeatedly almost destroyed his personal fortune trying to build rocket ships, electric cars, WiFi satellites, and other push the envelope type stuff. I find it hard to believe he is selfishly motivated because he could have just sat on his billions and accrued more money/power instead of taking wild risks to do new things.

Beats being in bed with bankers, pharmaceutical companies, arms dealers and people selling our personal data.

I think it's 90+% political. The right and left are at war. It's beyond any real civility -- anything short of actual physical violence is fair game. This doesn't leave room for a lot of nuanced views of different political figures.

> It's beyond any real civility -- anything short of actual physical violence is fair game.

I think that's sort of the problem, the person we're discussing is a significant purveyor of that sort of incivility. When someone chooses to play in the mud like that it should not come as a surprise that people respond with distain.

But he didn't choose any more than a soldier chooses to bring a gun to the battlefield. It's not a few guys in one party. The whole thing is covered in mud.