Trump witnesses SpaceX starship launch, highlighting the increasingly close alliance with Musk.

On Tuesday, Elon Musk's space exploration technology company SpaceX launched a massive Starship rocket into space in Texas, improving the spacecraft's space flight capabilities but failing in its attempt to bring back the booster to land. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump observed the launch at the company's rocket facility. The approximately 400-foot (122-meter) tall rocket system is designed to carry astronauts to the moon and eventually to Mars. The rocket system, named Starship, was launched into space from SpaceX's massive rocket development facility in Boca Chica, Texas at 4 p.m. Eastern Time. The rocket's first-stage booster, known as the Super Heavy, standing at 233 feet (71 meters) high, separated from the second stage Starship at an altitude of approximately 40 miles (62 kilometers) to send the spacecraft into space. Unexpectedly, the Super Heavy booster splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico instead of returning to land as planned, where it was expected to land in a large mechanical arm connected to the launch tower. A last-minute turn towards the water indicated an issue. Independent livestream hosted by space blogger Everyday Astronaut showed the Super Heavy booster exploding into a massive fireball upon splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico. Last month, the Starship demonstrated a novel landing technique, achieving a key milestone in its reusable design. Musk had tweeted before the launch that Tuesday's landing attempt should be "faster/harder." After the Starship test on October 14, Trump expressed interest and focused on the booster's novel landing and capture technology, mentioning at a rally that day, "Did you see that guy land today?" The rest of the mission appeared to be successful. The Starship flew around the Earth in space and splashed down in the Indian Ocean approximately an hour later. It marked the first time one of the onboard engines reignited in space, testing its maneuverability in space early on, a feat SpaceX had attempted in past flights but had been unsuccessful. Bill Nelson, the head of NASA expected to step down next January after Trump takes office, congratulated SpaceX on the restart of the Starship's space engines, marking a "significant step forward in on-orbit operation". Trump's presence solidifies his alliance with Musk, who stands to benefit from Trump's election victory. The billionaire entrepreneur and CEO of SpaceX and Tesla is expected to wield significant influence and help his companies secure favorable government treatment. As the wealthiest person in the world, Musk was a key supporter of Trump's presidential campaign, appearing alongside Trump at rallies and providing at least $119 million in political support. Trump wished Musk a successful launch, tweeting, "I'm going to great Texas to watch the largest object ever be launched into space, not only going into orbit, but departing from the ground." On November 13, Trump appointed Musk as co-chair of a new government efficiency project. The SpaceX founder and Tesla CEO said the project aims to eliminate wasteful spending and burdensome regulation in the federal government. Musk has long been frustrated with the FAA's regulation of commercial rocket launches, complaining that the agency has hindered his company's progress on Mars. The FAA's approval of the Starship launch on Tuesday came just over a month after the rocket's previous flight, making it the fastest regulatory approval for SpaceX to date. The agency is developing new launch approval processes to keep pace with advancements in the U.S. aerospace industry. On Tuesday, Musk outlined the four core objectives of the test flight: restart the Starship's space custom engine mid-flight, conduct a more pronounced ocean landing during the day (previous attempts were at night), subject the Starship to more intense heat upon reentry into the atmosphere, and land the booster faster. Musk said, "There are thousands of little design changes also being tested." In Trump's second term, SpaceX is set on rapid development of the Starship. The Trump administration's space agenda is expected to shift NASA's Artemis program to return astronauts to the surface of the moon to a more ambitious goal of sending humans to Mars, which is Musk's primary space aspiration. SpaceX President and COO Gwynne Shotwell stated at an investment conference in New York last week, "We just launched the Falcon rocket 400 times, so if we launch the Starship 400 times in the next four years, I wouldn't be surprised."