Space alliance: Elon Musk and President Trump set for historic Demo-2 launch

Elon Musk and President Trump have been working toward the common goal of sending American astronauts to space from U.S. soil, which could come to fruition on Saturday.

Musk’s SpaceX has spent years working with the U.S. government to support NASA’s historic return to crewed space flight from America. The historic Demo-2 mission will be the first time since 2011 that astronauts have made the journey into space from U.S. soil.

The initial launch of the Demo-2 mission was originally scheduled for Wednesday but scrubbed because of unfavorable weather conditions. SpaceX and NASA will try again on Saturday. The launch is scheduled for 3:22 p.m. EDT.

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At Florida’s Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday Trump praised the SpaceX founder and CEO, saying that he’s been “a friend of mine for a long time.”

In January, Trump’s praise of Musk was even more glowing, calling him “one of our great geniuses” when speaking to CNBC at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

SpaceX is a common ground for the two national figures.

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“The best minds are at companies where their talents can come to fruition. Musk’s SpaceX is one of those companies. Here … his and Donald Trump’s interests coincide,” Bonner Cohen, a senior fellow at the National Center for Public Policy Research (NCPPR), told Fox News.

Elon Musk, founder and CEO of SpaceX, participates in a press conference at the Kennedy Space Center on May 27, 2020 in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Elon Musk, founder and CEO of SpaceX, participates in a press conference at the Kennedy Space Center on May 27, 2020 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. (Photo by Saul Martinez/Getty Images)

But a much more politically polarizing issue has also become a common cause. It began earlier this month when Musk was sparring with local Alameda County officials in an attempt to reopen the Tesla plant in Fremont, Calif.

In a tweet, Musk said, “This is the final straw” and threatened to move Tesla’s headquarters from California to Texas or Nevada.

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Trump offered his support, tweeting, “California should let Tesla & @elonmusk open the plant, NOW. It can be done Fast & Safely!” And Musk responded, “Thank you!”