Washington: US billionaire Elon Musk’s SpaceX space tech giant may secure multibillion-dollar government contracts thanks to its founder’s role in the White House, The New York Times reported on Sunday, citing former and current federal officials.
Musk’s company is reportedly taking steps to win new federal contracts and other support from the government. SpaceX is expected to capitalize on actions by US President Donald Trump as those of his allies and employees holding government positions, the paper said.
SpaceX has reportedly submitted four requests to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to build new rocket launchpads or launch more frequently from federal spaceports in Florida and California. The FAA has moved toward approving of one of SpaceX’s requests to double Falcon 9 launches from Florida to 120 launches per year.
Government contracting experts told the paper they feared potential abuse of power and corruption, should Musk secure favors for his company, especially after President Trump fired some officials responsible for ethics violations investigations.
“We will never know if SpaceX would authentically win competitions for these awards because all of the offices in government intended to prevent corruption and conflicts of interest have been beheaded or defunded,” Danielle Brian, CEO of Project on Government Oversight, a nonprofit that tracks federal contracts, was quoted as saying.
Musk has been called US “shadow president” by US media for his active involvement in discussions of a new bill on federal government funding. He holds a leading position in the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a consultative body tasked with cutting wasteful spending and restructuring federal agencies.
