Neil deGrasse Tyson Calls Elon Musk's Mars Mission 'A Space Frontier' Days After His Comments On SpaceX Sparked Controversy

Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson has recently expressed admiration for Elon Musk‘s SpaceX‘s Mars initiatives, following a previous misunderstanding.

What Happened: Tyson had earlier commented that SpaceX had not surpassed what NASA has accomplished, sparking headlines that he felt misrepresented his views. In a video published on his channel “StarTalk,” Tyson clarified his stance on SpaceX’s role in space exploration, emphasizing the significance of their achievements.

“SpaceX has been advancing the engineering frontier of space exploration especially with the spectacle of the returning of the first stage back to Earth so that you can reuse it,” Tyson said.

Tyson highlighted that SpaceX’s plans to send uncrewed missions to Mars, pointing out that major projects have traditionally been led by nations due to their high costs and risks. He suggested that private enterprises like SpaceX could play a crucial role once the groundwork is laid by government initiatives.

“No one has ever sent a rocket to Mars that could have carried people that would be advancing a space frontier,” he said.

“Good luck, SpaceX. God speed to you!”

Why It Matters: The clarification from Tyson comes after a previous remark as reported by Mashable where he stated that SpaceX hadn’t achieved anything beyond NASA’s accomplishments. This statement drew significant attention, particularly from fans of Elon Musk. Tyson later explained that his comments were not intended to undermine SpaceX’s achievements but rather to highlight the company’s realistic approach to space exploration.

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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

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