Did young Elon Musk dream of the stars while lying under the celestial canopy in a veld? Or as a teenager, after leaving South Africa for Canada, while observing the sky over Saskatchewan's icy plains? The man who promises to conquer Mars is already the uncontested master of near space. From our planet, including 1,000 miles from any inhabited land, it is now more likely to spot his Starlink satellites than shooting stars. The risk of confusion is real: The "caravans" of these high-tech devices form long luminous trails in the night.

The story of this success is well known. Founded in 2002, SpaceX, Musk's aerospace company, initially faced setbacks and failed rocket launches. Competitors and industry experts watched with skepticism, even derision, as the billionaire doggedly pursued his project. A successful first launch in September 2008 opened the doors to NASA. Plagued by failures, the American federal agency had become a financial black hole. Yet, costs could be limited by involving a private stakeholder.

The bold gamble, taken by President George W. Bush (2001-2009), became a policy embraced by his successor, Barack Obama (2009-2017), who undertook to "streamline" NASA and began the privatization of space conquest. Donald Trump, during his first term (2017-2021), and even more so Joe Biden (2021-2025), continued on this path. In 20 years, Musk received more than $22.6 billion (nearly €21 billion) in aid, funding and public orders on behalf of SpaceX, according to an investigation by the Washington Post, published on February 26. The billionaire, whose mission with the current American president is to slash federal spending, has become one of the greatest beneficiaries of American taxpayers' money.

From Greenland to the Sahara

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