High-profile "platform"? US Defense Secretary visits Texas Spaceport, shakes hands in the same frame as Musk.

According to reports from Bloomberg and The Hill, U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper visited the SpaceX Starbase in Texas on the 12th local time and met with Elon Musk, the founder and CEO of SpaceX. A video released by the Pentagon's official account on the social media platform X shows the two shaking hands and exchanging greetings. The Hill also reported that Esper gave a speech at a local event, with Musk accompanying him. Bloomberg stated that the Texas Starbase is the main production and launch site for SpaceX's "Starship" super heavy rocket. In addition, the media commented that Esper's visit is another sign of the Trump administration reintegrating Musk.