According to Time, Musk's rise to prominence is emblematic of the impact of rich technologists on American society.
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SpaceX
founder and CEO Elon Musk and the SpaceX team are recognized by Vice President
Mike Pence at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center following the launch of the company’s
Demo-2 mission to the International Space Station on May 30, 2020. (Image
credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls) |
Elon Musk,
the founder and CEO of SpaceX, was named Time's person of the year for 2021 on
Monday (Dec. 13).
In a
statement, Time editor in chief and CEO Edward Felsenthal said, "Person of
the Year is a marker of influence, and few individuals have had more influence
than Musk on life on Earth, and maybe life off Earth, too." "In 2021,
Musk became not only the wealthiest person on the planet, but also probably the
wealthiest representation of a huge transition in our civilization."
"The
steady loss of traditional institutions in favour of individuals; political
dysfunction that has given business more power and responsibility; and chasms
of wealth and opportunity," according to Felsenthal.
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This
SpaceX photo shows the first test-fire of six Raptor engines on the company's
Starship SN20 rocket prototype on Nov. 12, 2021 at the Starbase facility near
Boca Chica Village in South Texas. A Starship Super Heavy booster stands at
right. (Image credit: SpaceX) |
This year,
Musk and SpaceX have accomplished a number of notable feats, including landing
a prototype of the company's massive Starship Mars rocket during a
high-altitude test flight, maintaining crewed access to the International Space
Station from the United States via SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule and Falcon 9
rocket, and successfully launching four civilians on a charity-focused orbital
spaceflight known as Inspiration4 (a mission backed by another billionaire,
Jared Isaacman.)
Musk even
appeared on Saturday Night Live, where he made the obligatory Dogecoin jokes.
Musk is a big lover of the cryptocurrency, and he's even started to take
Dogecoin payments for missions.
Musk's
interplanetary settlement ideas are still alive and well with Starship, and he
is now portraying his aim of reaching Mars as a solution to some of Earth's
challenges, including as global warming. According to Vox, this is a
contentious position for some, but Musk has been laser-focused on Mars since
SpaceX's founding nearly 20 years ago.
In an
interview with Time, Musk stated, "The goal overall has been to make life
multiplanetary and enable mankind to become a spacefaring civilisation."
"The next major idea is to establish a self-sustaining colony on Mars and
transport all of Earth's animals and species there, a future Noah's ark. We'll
bring more than two, though, because it'll be strange if there are only two of
us."
In his
interview with Time, Musk mentions some possible milestones for his numerous
long-term space endeavours, including a trip around the moon "as soon as
2023." He also stated that if SpaceX does not make a human Mars landing in
five years, he will be "surprised," and he clarified recent claims
that SpaceX may go bankrupt owing to a production crisis on its new Raptor
engine for Starship.
In the
worst-case scenario, Musk said in an interview with Time, "Bankruptcy is not
out of the question, not that it's likely." "We can't afford to lose
our competitive edge or get complacent."
You can
read the full cover story at Time at this link.
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