Elon Musk posted a cryptic Tweet captioned “Gateway to Mars” and fans are now wondering whether the secretive Tesla founder is teasing his latest project, or having a laugh like he did when he gave his newborn baby a name better suited for a cold, unfeeling robot than a flesh-and-blood human being.
The online debate started when Musk uploaded a picture of the SpaceX Starship Production Complex outside Brownsville in Texas. This post was nothing surprising in and of itself – especially when considering the company completed a successful Demo-2 test launch recently.
That launch, by the way, was quite the milestone for Musk and company. One of the first major undertakings of SpaceX since its inception, many believed the event would not take place for quite some time after it had to be postponed due to unfavorable weather.
Gateway to Mars
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 7, 2020
Naturally, as fueling eventually began on May 27th, the SpaceX employees on site, as well as the millions of citizens who watched the developments from their homes, were filled with hope. “We are GO FOR LAUNCH!” one employee tweeted with excitement.
The launch was a major PR victory for Musk, who has often been called mad for his eccentric plans, unorthodox business practices, and highly unrealistic expectations. But these characteristics, criticized as they are, might also be the very source of his success as a businessman.
Indeed, like Willy Wonka from Roald Dahl’s famous children’s stories, or – more realistically speaking – the late founder of Apple, Steve Jobs, Musk’s business plans are, first and foremost, an extension of his electric personality.
Given that SpaceX’s mission is to create vehicles “capable of carrying humans to Mars,” the enigmatic Tweet at the center of this discussion may be a sign that Elon Musk, seizing the momentum whipped up by his Demo-2 launch, is now moving one step closer to his ultimate goal.
