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Elon Musk

Aug 2, 2020 | Associated Press
In this May, 30, 2020 file photo, NASA astronauts Douglas Hurley, left, and Robert Behnken walk out of the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building on their way to Pad 39-A, at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. (AP Photo / John Raoux, File)

Two NASA astronauts returned to Earth on Sunday in a dramatic, retro-style splashdown, their capsule parachuting into the Gulf of Mexico to close out an unprecedented test flight by Elon Musk’s SpaceX company.

May 30, 2020 | Associated Press
A SpaceX Falcon 9, with NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken in the Dragon crew capsule, lifts off from Pad 39-A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Saturday, May 30, 2020. (AP Photo / John Raoux)

A rocket ship built by Elon Musk’s SpaceX company thundered away from Earth with two Americans on Saturday, ushering in a new era in commercial space travel.

May 27, 2020 | Patty Wetli
NASA astronauts Douglas Hurley, left, and Robert Behnken, during a launch rehearsal. (NASA HQ Photo / Flickr)

It’s a big day for NASA and Elon Musk’s SpaceX as they send humans into space Wednesday, the first crewed launch from American soil since 2011 and the first by a private firm.

Oct 1, 2019 | Paul Caine
Mars visualization with satellite imagery overlay. (Kevin Gill / Flickr)

The SpaceX founder aims to create a fleet of reusable rockets that will make space travel dramatically cheaper and more accessible. But can he turn what has long been science fiction into science fact?

Jul 23, 2019 | Paul Caine
An artist’s concept of an O’Neill cylinder. (Courtesy Blue Origin)

Could Jeff Bezos’ vision of giant rotating habitats one day support millions of people in space? We speak with two experts about humankind’s future in space. 

Dec 19, 2018 | Associated Press
A modified Tesla Model X drives in the tunnel entrance before an unveiling event on Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2018 for the Boring Co. Hawthorne test tunnel in Hawthorne, Calif. (Robyn Beck / Pool Photo via AP)

Elon Musk unveiled his underground transportation tunnel on Tuesday. Musk said he thinks the Chicago project that would take travelers from downtown to O’Hare Airport has the most potential to open the soonest.

Jun 14, 2018 | Paris Schutz
Each pod would hold 8-16 people. (Credit: The Boring Company)

The concept sounds like it was lifted straight out of science fiction, but billionaire Tesla founder Elon Musk says he is going to make it happen.

May 24, 2018 | Evan Garcia
(Evan Garcia / Chicago Tonight)

Could the Midwest soon be connected to a futuristic transit option? We visit one company’s hyperloop test site in the Nevada desert.

Feb 7, 2018 | Paul Caine
Falcon Heavy demo mission on Feb. 6, 2018. (SpaceX / Flickr)

Could Elon Musk’s successful launch and landing of his Falcon Heavy rocket usher in a new era of commercial exploration—and exploitation—of space? This story and more from the world of science with Neil Shubin.

Oct 10, 2016 | Paul Caine
SpaceX's Falcon 9, left, and Blue Origin's New Shepard. (SpaceX / Flickr, Franke360 / Wikimedia)

Tech billionaire Elon Musk wants to create a colony on Mars. Assessing the challenges–and his chances of success.

Jan 7, 2016 | Paul Caine
SpaceX's Falcon 9, left, and Blue Origin's New Shepard. (SpaceX / Flickr, Franke360 / Wikimedia)

Last month, Elon Musk's SpaceX successfully landed one of its Falcon 9 rockets back onto its launch pad. In November, Jeff Bezos’ company Blue Origin landed its sub-orbital capsule New Shepard. Space enthusiast and Fermilab physicist Don Lincoln recently wrote a column on the Musk versus Bezos competition and shares his insights.