Elon Musk has just landed a major government contract worth $5,900,000,000, allowing his aerospace company SpaceX to launch military satellites into space over the next four years.
SpaceX continues to grow its position in the space industry after becoming the most valuable private entity in the world, having already worked with NASA and the US government on a number of key projects.
Musk's company played a key role in returning 'stranded' astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore back to Earth, as NASA awarded SpaceX the contract following technical issues with their original Boeing spacecraft.
SpaceX has also been tasked with decommissioning the International Space Station in the next decade, which Musk himself has tried to expedite to a much earlier date despite the protestations of key astronauts.
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The growing influence of private companies in the aerospace world continues to expand as efforts to explore and mine the Moon ramp up, and two of its major players have just got another significant boost from the government.
As reported by NewsX, SpaceX was recently awarded a mega $5.9 billion contract by the US government to launch military satellites into space, alongside Lockheed Martin & Boeing's United Launch Services ($5.4 billion) and Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin ($2.4 billion).
Among the three companies it is planned that 54 satellite launches will take place before 2029, with Musk's company taking on 28, or over half, of the operations.
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"The result is assured access to space for our national security missions," reads the statement from the US Space Force following the contract agreement, "which increases the military's readiness."
Many consider this to only further increase the influence of private companies on US space operations, which perhaps paints a picture of what the future holds for exploration across our solar system.
Additionally, some have also called into question Musk's current role in government as head of the Department of Government Efficiency as a conflict of interest when it comes to the awarding of contracts.
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While President Trump has argued that Musk receives no financial benefits or advantages as a consequence of his role, it's not hard to imagine why some remain skeptical that his position of power can influence decisions made within government - even if he is set to leave his role shortly.
This isn't the first time that one of Musk's companies has massively benefitted from a government contract since taking a position in Trump's administration, as SpaceX subsidiary Starlink was recently awarded a $2.4 billion air traffic control contract that was intended to go to Verizon instead.