←back to thread

NASA chief suggests SpaceX may be booted from moon mission

(www.cnn.com)
404 points voxleone | 4 comments | 21 Oct 25 12:58 UTC | HN request time: 0.209s | source
Show context
heisgone ◴[21 Oct 25 18:44 UTC] No.45659875[source]▶
I can imagine SpaceX choosing to self-finance a mission to the moon and beat NASA at it.
replies(5): >>45659951 #>>45660023 #>>45660316 #>>45660508 #>>45663424 #
ZYbCRq22HbJ2y7 ◴[21 Oct 25 18:50 UTC] No.45659951[source]▶
> I can imagine

That probably does require some imagination. Starting with any incentive to do so.

replies(5): >>45660002 #>>45660160 #>>45660186 #>>45660237 #>>45660373 #
testing22321 ◴[21 Oct 25 19:06 UTC] No.45660186[source]▶
Elon just said starship will do the entire moon mission:

“Starship will end up doing the whole Moon mission. Mark my words.”

To address your question, what is the incentive for going to Mars

replies(7): >>45660262 #>>45660338 #>>45660468 #>>45660999 #>>45661048 #>>45661061 #>>45661990 #
dylan604 ◴[21 Oct 25 19:17 UTC] No.45660338[source]▶
>To address your question, what is the incentive for going to Mars

To occupy it. Just look at Musk's t-shirt. Isn't the entire point of SpaceX to go to Mars? Everything else they do is just steps in achieving the occupation of Mars.

replies(2): >>45660844 #>>45660867 #
coldpie ◴[21 Oct 25 19:55 UTC] No.45660867[source]▶
> Isn't the entire point of SpaceX to go to Mars?

What? No, it is to concentrate public wealth into the hands of one man.

replies(2): >>45661069 #>>45661313 #
reliabilityguy ◴[21 Oct 25 20:32 UTC] No.45661313[source]▶
No one forces anyone to buy Teslas stock to make the price high. If tomorrow Tesla goes bust, Elon’s 400B+ of “wealth” goes bust as well.
replies(1): >>45661389 #
1. IncreasePosts ◴[21 Oct 25 20:39 UTC] No.45661389[source]▶
I wonder if there is something you can do with $500B but not with the $200B or so he has from SpaceX?
replies(1): >>45661690 #
2. reliabilityguy ◴[21 Oct 25 21:04 UTC] No.45661690[source]▶
He does not have $200B in cash. It’s all stock — unrealized gains. I am not even sure you can convert it to cash without reducing the value itself. Also, AFAIK, spacex is not publicly traded, where does the $200B figure come from?

To be honest I don’t understand this argument of “no one can’t spend billions in a lifetime so no one should have billions at all”. Why do we set a limit on billions? Why do we use the idea of “can’t spend in a lifetime”?

replies(1): >>45662402 #
3. IncreasePosts ◴[21 Oct 25 22:13 UTC] No.45662402[source]▶
SpaceX isn't public, but has raised money at a $400+B valuation and Musk owns 42% of that.

I have no argument about limiting anyone's money. I'm just wondering if there is a (real, useful) feat he can pull off now with $500B, but that he couldn't do with a mere $200B.

replies(1): >>45663594 #
4. reliabilityguy ◴[22 Oct 25 00:32 UTC] No.45663594{3}[source]▶
> SpaceX isn't public, but has raised money at a $400+B valuation and Musk owns 42% of that.

The company raised money? I could not find any article that states that, only some rumors about the intent to do so.

Regardless, when company raises money its company's money, not Elon's.

I would assume that aggressive scaling of rocket building capabilities would require capital, but I have no idea what is the figure needed for that.