What a second Trump term could mean for SpaceX

NPR | By Regina G. Barber,

Wailin Wong, Rebecca Ramirez, Rachel Carlson, Julia Ritchey, Kate Concannon

Published December 5, 2024 at 10:43 AM CST

(Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images)

SpaceX is capping off a busy 2024, with more than 100 rocket launches, including its vaunted Starship. NPR Science Correspondent Geoff Brumfiel attended the November launch of Starship alongside SpaceX founder Elon Musk and president-elect Donald Trump. He spoke with NPR's Short Wave about the environmental impact of these launches in south Texas — and what a second Trump administration could mean for the company.

Related episode:
Elon's giant rocket

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Regina G. Barber

Regina G. Barber is a co-host of Short Wave.

Wailin Wong

Wailin Wong is a co-host of The Indicator from Planet Money.

Rebecca Ramirez

Rebecca Ramirez (she/her) is the founding producer of NPR's daily science podcast, Short Wave. It's a meditation in how to be a Swiss Army Knife, in that it involves a little of everything — background research, finding and booking sources, interviewing guests, writing, cutting the tape, editing, scoring ... you get the idea.

Rachel Carlson

Rachel Carlson is an associate producer at Short Wave.

Julia Ritchey

Julia Ritchey is an audio journalist with 15 years experience reporting, editing and podcasting all over the country. She's reported from eight states and all four U.S. time zones, most recently at Nashville Public Radio, Tennessee's largest NPR affiliate, overseeing the station's policy, environmental and education beats.

Kate Concannon

Kate Concannon is the Supervising Senior Editor at The Indicator from Planet Money. She leads this small, collaborative team of hosts, reporters and producers in making sense of crucial, but often complex and confusing, economic news in just 10 minutes a day.