The first reason is Elon Musk, whose singular vision and hard-driving leadership propelled SpaceX through its many ups and downs. It was Musk, for example, who pushed relentlessly for SpaceX to master reusable rockets, despite industry doubters and the grumblings of his own engineers.

Elon Musk said the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) should punish Boeing for its Starliner failures rather than impose "petty" fines on SpaceX. In a Thursday X post, Musk expressed his displeasure with the FAA's proposed $633,

The Federal Aviation Administration has proposed a $633,009 fine against SpaceX for what it says were two separate launch violations in 2023.