News
SpaceX and “new space” up against traditionalists for future of NASA
Speculation about the direction of NASA under the Trump Administration has been circling for weeks, and although there are still no definite answers, there’s finally some news about the process being executed.
According to internal White House advisory documents obtained by Politico, there’s a huge push from many advisors for NASA to be used as a driver for privatized space technology; however, that push is bringing the rift between traditional NASA contractors and the “new space” companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin to a head. NASA’s $19 billion dollar budget is simply not large enough to accommodate both commercially-driven and traditional visions for the agency. The struggle is real, apparently, and it isn’t just affecting inner White House circles, either.
Earlier this week, the Commercial Spaceflight Federation (CSF) surprised its audience by endorsing NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS), the heavy lift rocket being built to launch future NASA missions. In his remarks at the FAA’s Commercial Space Conference, CSF chairman Alan Stern characterized the SLS as a “resource” that could be complimentary to commercial space activity.
The surprise at this announcement comes in part from the fact that Boeing, a traditional NASA contractor and one-half of the government-customer-only launch service United Launch Alliance (ULA), is the prime contractor for the SLS. The cost comparison between private and government contracted technology is the issue.
Cost Effectiveness is Key
The billions of dollars it will take to fully develop SLS plus the high cost of launch missions is hard to justify when, for example, SpaceX estimates under $100 million dollars per flight on its upcoming heavy launch vehicle, Falcon Heavy.
SLS is estimated to be capable of carrying many times the payload weight of SpaceX’s vehicle, but it would still cost much less to use multiple SpaceX vehicles for a multi-part payload rather than justify the huge cost for a single launch. That, or one could argue that the cost of a SpaceX or Blue Origin developed vehicle in line with the SLS’s capabilities would be much more cost effective given the pricing record thus far. It also should be noted that such vehicles are, in fact, being designed by these companies already, albeit mostly still in non-tangible state. SpaceX has its Mars-bound Interplanetary Transport System (or “BFR” if you like), and Blue Origin has its “New Armstrong” in the works.
What about Congress?
The push from White House advisers will face obstacles in Congress as well. Space subcommittee members in both the House and Senate have discussed some of the details included in a draft 2017 NASA Authorization Act, the legislation which will define NASA’s priorities, and considering their comments alongside prior legislative drafts, “stay the course” looks to be the general direction. Concern over NASA’s need for “constancy of purpose” is a big driver, as missions requiring long-term development suffer when directives vary too widely from one presidential administration to another.
While prior presentations of NASA Authorization Acts have been lengthy and mostly inviting little to no controversy, they all still contain a requirement to use the SLS and Orion, NASA’s crew capsule under development, for deep space activity and anywhere else suitable. Such emphasis would likely clash with those advocating for transforming NASA’s role to one supporting commercial launch vehicles, especially those promoting the elimination of the SLS entirely.
Also, with thousands of NASA-dependent jobs on the line in the districts hosting SLS development facilities, the stakes are high for any congressional representatives thinking of supporting major shifts for NASA. The lines seem to have been drawn in the proverbial sand.
What about Mars?
News of commercial space supporters advocating for a NASA transition inside the White House may sound hopeful to those rooting for more privatized space technology; however, for colonization dreamers, Mars looks to be a carrot teased at the end of a “Moon first” road. The internal White House documents call for Moon development to begin by 2020, Mars falling under the “and beyond” category of capabilities that could be possible with an overhauled NASA.
In that light, the proposed NASA bills might sound like a Cinderella story for Mars enthusiasts: In order to go to the Prince’s ball (Mars), a whole host of lengthy chores (cis-lunar activity, Moon base, use the SLS, etc.) must be completed first.
If “Moon first” becomes the winner in the end, it still wouldn’t likely interfere with Elon Musk’s Mars plans but rather help them along with all the new space infrastructure launch income for SpaceX. And to continue with the Cinderella bit, we know there’s no way Musk would make it home by midnight anyway, although he does seem to have an affinity for mice.
Tesla Cybercab is the company’s autonomy-geared automobile that will eventually begin the phase-out of human drivers. In recent days, however, there has been speculation regarding the vehicle’s equipment and whether it would be fitted with a typical steering wheel and pedals.
CEO Elon Musk put an end to this discussion, at least for now, as he maintains the vehicle will not have anything that would remotely resemble any possibility of any sort of manual operation.
The problem is, there is a flaw in his logic, and his justification for the reasoning is an opinion. But Musk has a special ability; he has the final say on what goes on at Tesla, and if he does or doesn’t want manual controls in the new vehicle, he’ll get his way.
On the All In Podcast on Friday, Musk gave his final answer to whether the Cybercab would have a steering wheel or pedals by stating it would not when the production units start rolling off lines in Q2 2026.
He provided a further explanation:
“The reality is, people may think they want to drive their car, but the reality is that they don’t. How many times have you been in an Uber or Lyft and said ‘I wish I could take over for the driver, get off my phone, and drive to my destination? 0.0 times.”
🚨 Elon Musk says Tesla will NOT put a steering wheel in the Cybercab (via All In Podcast):
“The reality is, people may think they want to drive their car, but the reality is that they don’t. How many times have you been in an Uber or Lyft and said ‘I wish I could take over for… pic.twitter.com/SGu3to5anA
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) October 31, 2025
Although the units that have been spotted on public roads in recent days are equipped with a steering wheel and pedals, it is because Tesla is testing the vehicle in real-world situations, and manual controls are required for it.
Tesla Cybercab spotted testing on public roads for the first time
Some Tesla fans in the community have said that the car seems more geared toward being suitable for manual operation as opposed to a fully autonomous vehicle primed for driverless ride-hailing.
Earlier this week, Tesla Board Chair Robyn Denholm said that if the company had to put a steering wheel or pedals into the Cybercab, it would.
News
SpaceX sets the record straight on Jim Bridenstine and Artemis 3
SpaceX argued that Bridenstine’s comments should be taken with a grain of salt as he is working as a paid lobbyist for companies that are competing for NASA contracts.
SpaceX pushed back firmly against former NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine after he questioned the agency’s reliance on Starship for the Artemis 3 Moon mission.
In a detailed thread on X, SpaceX argued that Bridenstine’s comments should be taken with a grain of salt as he is working as a paid lobbyist for companies that are competing for NASA contracts.
Bridenstine’s comments on Starship and Artemis 3
Bridenstine and fellow former NASA chief Charlie Bolden noted during a recent symposium that NASA’s current Artemis strategy is approaching zero chance of beating China to the Moon. Bridenstine expressed skepticism that NASA’s current architecture, which is expected to use Starship to transport astronauts to and from the lunar surface, could succeed in time.
“Starship is a tremendously important vehicle for the future,” Bridenstine said, as per Space News. “It’s going to deliver large mass to low Earth orbit for a long time, and it’s going to drive down costs and increase access. But if you need a moon lander, it’s going to take time.”
SpaceX responds to the former NASA administrator’s comments
In a series of posts on X, SpaceX noted that while the company is very thankful to the former NASA administrator for helping create the Artemis Program, his comments about Starship might not necessarily be coming from a place of objectivity.
SpaceX’s comments are as follows: “Like many Americans, we are thankful for Mr. Bridenstine’s service leading NASA at one point. He deserves credit for spearheading the creation of the Artemis Program. After departing NASA, he created a lobbying firm called the Artemis Group, representing a host of aerospace companies vying for NASA business.
“Mr. Bridenstine’s current campaign against Starship is either misguided or intentionally misleading. SpaceX was selected to design and develop a Human Landing System for Artemis along with Blue Origin and Dynetics during Mr. Bridenstine’s tenure as NASA Administrator.
“Starship was then selected by NASA for the Artemis III mission through fair and open competition after being identified as the best and lowest risk technical option – and the lowest price by a wide margin – by the civil servant team appointed to lead the agency’s exploration mission by Mr. Bridenstine himself.
“The decision to select Starship was confirmed repeatedly following protest and litigation from the companies not selected which delayed the start of work on the contract for many months. Mr. Bridenstine’s recent musings promoting a new landing system – going so far as to invoke the Defense Production Act – are being misreported as though they were the unbiased thoughts of a former NASA Administrator. They are not.
“To be clear, he is a paid lobbyist. He is representing his clients’ interests, and his comments should be seen for what they are – a paid lobbyist’s effort to secure billions more in government funding for his clients who are already years late and billions of dollars overbudget,” SpaceX wrote.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk just dropped a huge detail on the Tesla Roadster
“Whether it’s good or bad, it will be unforgettable. My friend Peter Thiel once reflected that the future was supposed to have flying cars, but we don’t have flying cars. I think if Peter wants a flying car, he should be able to buy one.”
Elon Musk dropped a huge detail on the Tesla Roadster on his latest appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast.
Tesla has been teasing the Roadster for years. The company has constantly delayed the vehicle, hoping to push its limits past anything that is even imaginable by the human mind.
Earlier this year, the company said it would put on a “most epic demo” for the Roadster, displaying and unveiling all its capabilities, some new, some previously talked about. However, nobody really knows what to expect.
On the JRE Podcast, Musk joined Rogan for an over three-hour conversation about a variety of topics, but Tesla was something that was evidently on the agenda.
One of the parts of the Tesla conversation that is getting a lot of attention is Musk’s new teasing of the Roadster, saying it has “crazy technology” that might not even qualify as an automobile in the classic sense.
Musk confirmed that Tesla is “getting close to demonstrating the prototype,” and said he can guarantee the demo “will be unforgettable.”
He continued:
“Whether it’s good or bad, it will be unforgettable. My friend Peter Thiel once reflected that the future was supposed to have flying cars, but we don’t have flying cars. I think if Peter wants a flying car, he should be able to buy one.”
Musk went on to say, with a smile, that Joe would have to “wait and see” what Tesla had come up with.
He went on:
“I think it has a shot at being the most memorable product unveil ever. [It will be unveiled] hopefully before the end of the year. You know, we need to make sure that it works. This is some crazy technology in this car. Let’s just put it this way: if you took all the James Bond cars and combined them, it’s crazier than that.”
Tesla has said for years that the Roadster would be able to at least hover, thanks to a SpaceX package that would feature cold gas thrusters that would help the vehicle get in the air.
Musk seemed very confident in his answers and very excited to show off what the Tesla Roadster is capable of. The real question is: how long will it take Tesla to get the car to market after the launch and unveiling? How many units will it manufacture? How much will it cost?
All of those things are details we will have to wait for Tesla to reveal at the Roadster event.
Tesla Cybercab steering wheel dilemma gets final answer from Elon Musk
SpaceX sets the record straight on Jim Bridenstine and Artemis 3
Elon Musk just dropped a huge detail on the Tesla Roadster
-
Elon Musk2 weeks agoSpaceX posts Starship booster feat that’s so nutty, it doesn’t even look real
-
Elon Musk2 weeks agoTesla Full Self-Driving gets an offer to be insured for ‘almost free’
-
News2 weeks agoElon Musk confirms Tesla FSD V14.2 will see widespread rollout
-
News2 weeks agoTesla is adding an interesting feature to its centerscreen in a coming update
-
Elon Musk2 weeks agoTesla CEO Elon Musk’s $1 trillion pay package hits first adversity from proxy firm
-
News2 weeks agoTesla might be doing away with a long-included feature with its vehicles
-
News2 weeks agoTesla updates fans on its plans for the Roadster
-
Elon Musk2 weeks agoAfter moving Tesla to Texas, Elon Musk is back in the Bay Area with Neuralink expansion