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SpaceX shows off Starman helmet and Falcon Heavy to political VIPs
In the wake of the rather odd second meeting of the US National Space Council (NSC), a NASA photographer stationed at Kennedy Space Center documented a number of tours given by some of the companies mentioned in the proceedings. VIPs who attended the NSC were allowed to get up close and personal to rocket hardware in facilities owned and operated by SpaceX, Blue Origin, Boeing, the United Launch Alliance (ULA), and others, and in a few cases provided some unique views of those same facilities.
RELATED: SpaceX vs. Blue Origin: The bickering titans of new space
Humorously enough, those tours – at least as seen through the lenses of NASA photographer Kim Shiflett – acted as a generally accurate thematic representation of each company. ULA walked VIPs through their Delta IV Heavy integration facility, ready for the launch of a NASA spacecraft tasked with traveling closer to the sun than any vehicle before it – the impressive but oft-maligned rocket’s first launch in nearly two years.
Boeing displayed some of their Starliner hardware, hoped to carry their first crew to the International Space Station in very late 2018 or early 2019. Blue Origin showed off a massive factory – intended to eventually manufacture their orbital New Glenn rocket – that was, by all appearances, almost completely empty, aside from a flight-proven New Shepard and boilerplate capsule now on display in the lobby.
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- ULA president and CEO Tory Bruno, left leads a tour of the Delta IV Heavy rocket for VP Mike Pence. (NASA)
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- Boeing, one of the two companies that comprise ULA, gave NSC VIPs a tour of the facility where they are assembling Starliner crew capsules. (NASA)
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- Blue Origin’s seemingly empty New Glenn factory. The massive rocket is hoped to complete its first launch NET 2020. (NASA)
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- Blue Origin has had some success with its New Shepard suborbital rocket reuse program, although dramatically different from New Glenn. (NASA)
SpaceX, however, undertook the (admittedly less than titanic) feat of overshadowing its fellow aerospace companies. Something like 80% coincidence and 20% theatrics, SpaceX’s displays included two of the just-launched and just-landed Falcon Heavy boosters – one accessible by all at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Center, the other recently shuttled into the company’s facilities at Pad 39A. While the company appears not to have opened their second LC-40 pad for tours this time around, Space Council VIPs were given a unique mass-tour of Pad 39A’s Horizontal Integration Facilities, chock full of flight-proven orbital rockets and components.
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- Titanium grid fins complete the highly reusable changes to Block 5 of Falcon 9. (NASA)
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- A unique perspective of SpaceX’s upgraded grid fin – dwarfing its human onlookers. (NASA)
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- Shotwell, pictured on the right, spoke in depth about SpaceX’s profitability and synergies with Tesla’s battery expertise. (NASA)
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- (NASA)
On display was the second Falcon Heavy side booster, a Falcon 9-equivalent first stage that took part in the inaugural launch of the massive rocket just two weeks before, as well as one of that booster’s highly valuable titanium grid fins, providing a unique sense of scale (spoiler: they’re colossal). Further, after what can only be described as Starman’s iconic global debut, SpaceX brought along the helmet of one of their slick internally-designed spacesuits, going so far as to let members of the tour – including the Secretary of the Air Force – briefly try it on for themselves.
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.@NASA I’m ready to go. When’s the next launch? pic.twitter.com/XC21RFEw5C
— Office of the Secretary of the Air Force (@SecAFOfficial) February 21, 2018
Despite the baffling fact that none of the actual hardware developers that gave tours after had seats on either of the two panels that spoke before the Council, it’s great to see SpaceX flaunt at least a portion of its extraordinary and praiseworthy achievements in the last few months alone.
Whether or not you resent some of the politicking or the actors involved in the spectacle, the general theme of reducing and improving regulatory burdens on US aerospace companies is one of the very few places where there is actually some truth to the negativity. Jingoistic China-bashing and hyperbole aside, some of the panelists and councilmembers made reasonable points about the state of spaceflight regulation, and some of their recommendations may actually benefit companies like Blue Origin, ULA, and SpaceX – at least eventually.
Catch our live, behind-the-scenes coverage of these exciting events through the eyes of our amazing photographers on both coasts.
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Elon Musk has updated his timeline for when humans will walk on Mars and for when ships will simply get there.
The objective of getting to Mars has been one of Musk’s biggest goals since becoming a serial entrepreneur and realizing that time on Earth is limited. Musk has said several times he hopes to die on Mars, and not by impact.
Musk now believes that people will be on Mars in “roughly 5 to 7 years.” He said that a Mars lander will get there “a few years sooner.”
People on Mars in roughly 5 to 7 years.
Mars lander a few years sooner.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 29, 2026
The response from Musk comes after NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said that SpaceX’s biggest priority is the Moon and not Mars. Because of this, Isaacman conceded that he believes nuclear power and propulsion investments will provide “potentially the pathway with the fewest miracles required to put four people on Mars in the next 10 to 15 years.”
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Of course, this is what NASA can do through taxpayer funding and nuclear investments, he added.
Musk’s grand ambitions are much more optimistic than most, and it is certainly a double-edged sword. This is not the first time timelines for Mars have been somewhat lofty, especially to those normal thinkers like you and me, not super geniuses like Musk.
In fact, the SpaceX and Tesla frontman has said on at least a dozen occasions that we could be on Mars in the coming years. Musk said 2020 would be the big year as early as 2009. In 2020, he was “highly confident” of a landing in 2026, and had even said 2024 in a best-case scenario.
The point is, the range has varied, and it’s anyone’s guess when we’ll get there. This latest adjustment to the timeline is typical of Musk, and while the Moon has seemingly taken priority over Mars, it is still worth mentioning that the ultimate goal is to make life multiplanetary, and it starts potentially with the Red Planet.
SpaceX (NASDAQ: SPCX) got an absolutely crazy price target rating from Raymond James after the company experienced a tough first few weeks following its Initial Public Offering (IPO).
Despite the tumultuous start, SpaceX has plenty of believers, and the company’s massively successful Starship launch last Friday, its 13th test flight of the massive rocket, went so smoothly that Raymond James analysts pushed its price target on the company to roughly 7 times its current trading level.
SpaceX Starship just nailed something it’s never done before
The firm officially put a “Strong Buy” rating and an $800 price target on the stock. It currently trades at around $113. Its all-time high is $225.64, reaching this trading level shortly after shares first went public.
Raymond James’ price target is tied to the firm’s confidence after Starship’s 13th test flight. Analysts at the firm said it was an incremental step that reduces engineering risks, citing the widely successful heat shield test that CEO Elon Musk recently detailed, the smooth deployment of Starlink V3 satellites, and a successful in-space engine relight.
SpaceX also managed to see Starship splash down safely in the Indian Ocean, while the Super Heavy Booster fell down to the Gulf of America with no incidents.
It is interesting to see these launches have such a tremendous impact on the stock and what investors think of it. After SpaceX initially delayed the Starship launch last week, shares fell tremendously. Most probably did not realize that the stand-down is a standard practice, especially if everything is not perfect.
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The mission was initially aborted due to an issue with Raptor engines. This was resolved, and Starship launched last Friday after another delay on Thursday, which was caused by weather.
Now that analysts have seen what SpaceX launches are capable of and how impressive the feat is, firms are adjusting their price targets accordingly, making it known that they have high expectations for the space exploration company.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has responded to reports that Volvo is officially discontinuing the LiDAR sensor on two of its cars.
Volvo announced that it would officially scrap LiDAR systems on its EX90 and ES90 vehicles in various markets. In Norway, owners will get a €1,800 compensation for features that will never arrive due to this decision. There will be no option to remove the unit from vehicles, either.
The issue stems from Volvo’s supplier, Luminar, and its bankruptcy filing. Luminar will no longer be able to supply LiDAR units to Volvo for the EX90 and ES90, effectively axing any use the unit has on vehicles. Volvo will phase out the data collection processes via the LiDAR system, and it will not be utilized whatsoever.
Musk saw the story on X and responded, stating:
“I did try to warn them. Humans drive using neural nets and optical sensors. Same is true for robot cars.”
I did try to warn them.
Humans drive using neural nets and optical sensors. Same is true for robot cars.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 29, 2026
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Musk has been publicly vocal about his disdain for LiDAR systems, once calling them “a fool’s errand,” as he has consistently kept the outlook that they are not needed for effective self-driving.
The typical example used as evidence for this by Musk is humans themselves: made with only eyes and memories, humans are capable of navigating a car by using what they can see and what they’ve personally experienced on the road.
Elon Musk argues lidar and radar make self driving cars more dangerous
“Same is true for robot cars,” Musk says, as Teslas have eight exterior cameras that help see everything surrounding the vehicle, and a neural network that analyzes behavior and tendencies with every mile driven.
Tesla is a vision-only self-driving company that ditched sensors and radar several years ago in favor of cameras. Behind this effort, the company has established a reputation for having one of the most robust self-driving platforms in the world.
Musk’s big bet with Tesla on its self-driving program’s strategy has widely paid off. Other companies continue to utilize things like LiDAR, radar, and sensors for effective self-driving, but Tesla has shown that there is more than one way to give consumers a strong and accurate driver assistance suite.
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The real question is: who will be the first company to take Musk’s advice and attempt a self-driving platform based on cameras only, or even license FSD for themselves?
Elon Musk updates the SpaceX timeline for Mars
SpaceX gets an absolutely crazy price target after rough IPO
