Pentagon explores using Starship as a government-controlled vehicle

  • US military considering using SpaceX’s Starship rocket for dangerous or sensitive missions
  • Pentagon would take control of the vehicle as a government-owned, government-operated asset
  • Discussions have been ongoing for years, with potential use for cargo transportation and rapid personnel movement
  • Starship also being tapped for NASA’s Artemis program as a moon lander
  • SpaceX targeting February for Starship’s third flight test

The US military is in talks with SpaceX to potentially use the company’s Starship rocket for dangerous or sensitive missions. The Pentagon is considering taking control of the vehicle as a government-owned, government-operated asset. Discussions have been ongoing for years, with potential use cases including cargo transportation and rapid personnel movement. Additionally, Starship is being considered for NASA’s Artemis program as a moon lander. SpaceX is targeting February for Starship’s third flight test.

Public Companies: SpaceX (N/A)
Private Companies:
Key People: Elon Musk (Founder and CEO of SpaceX), Gary Henry (Senior Advisor for National Security Space Solutions at SpaceX), Gen. Stephen Lyons (Former commander of USTRANSCOM), Col. Eric Felt (Director of Space Architecture for the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisition and Integration)

Factuality Level: 8
Justification: The article provides information from Aviation Week and quotes from a Senior Advisor for National Security Space Solutions at SpaceX. It also mentions previous discussions about using Starship for military purposes and NASA’s plans to use it for the Artemis program. However, there is no evidence of misleading information, sensationalism, redundancy, or opinion masquerading as fact. The article is focused on providing information about the potential use of Starship by the U.S. military.

Noise Level: 7
Justification: The article provides information about the U.S. military considering using SpaceX’s Starship rocket for sensitive missions. It includes quotes from a Senior Advisor at SpaceX and mentions previous discussions about using the rocket for cargo and personnel transportation. The article also mentions Elon Musk’s idea of using Starship for point-to-point flights. However, there is limited analysis or evidence provided to support the claims made in the article. It lacks scientific rigor and intellectual honesty. Additionally, the article goes off-topic by mentioning Starship’s potential use for NASA’s Artemis program. Overall, while the article provides some relevant information, it lacks depth and supporting evidence, resulting in a higher noise level.

Financial Relevance: No
Financial Markets Impacted: No

Presence of Extreme Event: No
Nature of Extreme Event: No
Impact Rating of the Extreme Event: No
Justification: The article does not pertain to financial topics and does not describe any extreme events.

Reported publicly: www.space.com