President-elect Donald Trump attended a SpaceX "Starship" rocket launch on Tuesday, the latest indication of founder Elon Musk's influence on the Republican's orbit.
The Federal Aviation Administration has issued temporary flight restrictions over the Brownsville and Boca Chica, Texas, area for a VIP visit that coincides with the SpaceX launch window for a test of its massive Starship rocket from its launch facility on the Gulf of Mexico. The flight restrictions put in place over Trump's home in Palm Beach, Florida, when he is there will be lifted briefly while the Texas security measures are in place.
The massive rocket launched at about 4 p.m. The company is again looking to test the booster's landing capture system in Texas while the upper stage splashes down in the Indian Ocean.
Watch Starship's sixth flight test → https://t.co/oIFc3u9laE https://t.co/acpdO2brbP
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) November 16, 2024
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Trump frequently regaled audiences on the campaign trail with a dramatic account of the last Starship test, which included a pair of mechanical arms capturing the booster at its launchpad.
Trump's visit comes as billionaire Musk has been a near-constant presence at Trump's side as he builds out his administration. Musk has been tapped to head a new "Department of Government Efficiency" and has attended meetings at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club. Musk was also seen accompanying the president-elect to meetings with Capitol Hill Republicans in Washington last week and a UFC fight in New York on Saturday.
Musk pumped an estimated $200 million through his political action committee to help elect Trump and has been named, along with former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, to lead an advisory committee tasked by Trump to dramatically cut governmental costs and reshape how Washington operates, which has sparked ethics concerns over Musk's many interests before the federal government.
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