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Hello , and welcome back to TechCrunch Space . There was absolutely no newsworthiness last week because nothing happened .
Just pull the leg of .
defy all early polling , Donald Trump drag the election and will presently be sworn in for his second term in spot . From a space policy position , thing are already starting to lookinteresting . That ’s mostly due to the outstanding function SpaceX CEO Elon Musk flirt in the run - up to the election , and the office he could act in the next establishment .
There ’s already been some great reporting from The New York Times on their relationship ; I ’ll manoeuvre tothis history , which describes how Musk get together a call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy , andthis one , in which sources say that Musk require Trump to hire SpaceX employees to top government positions , including at the Department of Defense .
If Musk manages to secure even a fraction of the influence that he has talked about in late week — like head up a Department of Government Efficiency — we could see the head word of the biggest space company , the biggest electric fomite manufacturing business , and one of the largest societal media platforms gain as - of - yet - unheard of influence .
Want to achieve out with a hint ? Email Aria ataria.techcrunch@gmail.comor send a content on Signal at 512 - 937 - 3988 . you may also post a note to the TechCrunch crew attips@techcrunch.com . For more untroubled communicating , click here to contact us , which let in SecureDropinstructionsand links to encipher message apps .
Story of the week
Senior reporter Rebecca Bellan and I plunge into what Trump ’s presidency might mean for Elon Musk . Bellan covers all thing transportation , so she took a close feeling at the prospects for Tesla , and I confuse in my two cents about the implications for space policy . We tried very , very heavily not to speculate too much — at this power point , it ’s too prosperous to drift into fantasy , and there are too many unknowns — but there ’s still plenty of info to go on .
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What we’re looking forward to this month
Speaking of SpaceX , the caller is pitch up to launch its 6th integrate flight trial run of Starship on November 18 . Many of the trial objectives are the same as the fifth test , which pick up the Super Heavy lifter return to the launch land site for the first time ever , but SpaceX did say it will be testing some hardware and software upgrades .
This week in space history
With Musk having the pinna of the next sitting president , Mars is on everyone ’s mind in a raw means . It ’s entirely possible that SpaceX could indeed launch an uncrewed Starship to Mars when the next earthly concern - Mars transit windowpane opens in 2026 . But this week , we ’re expect back at a very small ballistic capsule that made history as the first man - made object to orbit the cerise planet : Mariner 9 , which entered Mars ’ celestial orbit on November 13 , 1971 .
When the probe arrived , a monumental dust storm was blot out most of the satellite ’s feature of speech . That calmed down , and Mariner 9 was able-bodied to take a number of unbelievable images over its 10 months orbiting the major planet . Much of what it visit completely take aback scientists .
