Trump watches Musk’s SpaceX Starship launch in Texas

On By Littum

President-elect Donald Trump said Tuesday he traveled to Texas to personally witness the latest launch of SpaceX’s Starship megarocket, a key part of billionaire Elon Musk’s plans to populate Mars.

Trump, who has supported a Mars mission, announced his plans in a post on X.

“I’m on my way to the great state of Texas to watch the launch of the largest object ever raised, not only into space, but simply by lifting it off the ground. Good luck to @ElonMusk and the great patriots involved in this incredible project!” he said.

Musk, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, said on X he was honored to have Trump along to the event.

SpaceX SpaceX captures Starship rocket booster in dramatic landing during fifth flight test (Eric Gay/AP)

SpaceX’s mega rocket Starship lifts off during a test flight from Boca Chica, Texas, on October 13.

The launch, which is scheduled for around Last month, the booster completed its fifth flight test with a dramatic catch in the arms of the company’s launch tower.

SpaceX is a major government contractor with $3.8 billion in contracts with federal agencies this year, according to government dataand after Musk helped propel Trump to a second term in the White House, the company has gotten one valuable political support.

The rocket being designed to carry out missions to the moon and eventually Mars, and it has steadily progressed milestones in a number of launches over the past year.

Trump’s decision to watch the test in person is a sign of how closely he and Musk have worked together in the two weeks since Trump’s campaign comeback. Musk has been with Trump almost dailynot only at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, but also in New York this weekend at the UFC Championship.

SpaceX successfully "caught" the first stage booster of its Starship megarocket on Sunday as it returned to the launch pad after a test flight, a world first in the company's quest for rapid reusability. (AFP Contributor#AFP / AFP - Getty Images)

Starship’s Super Heavy Booster is battled at the launch pad on October 13th.

Musk is too conciliatory a Commission on Government Efficiency for Trump.

Trump is a relatively recent convert to the potential value of SpaceX’s services. After mockingly Musk’s “rocket ships to nowhere” in 2022 In speeches this year, Trump often expressed awe at the company’s ability to land rockets with precision, and he has said he wants the US to send a rocket to Mars under his administration.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com