SpaceX has contracts to do all kinds of labor for america authorities, from placing Toyotas on the moon to plunging the Worldwide House Station into the ocean. The corporate’s work contains secret tasks for the U.S. navy, however CEO Elon Musk wouldn’t know a lot about that — he’s not allowed into these rooms at company HQ.
Entry to that form of labeled information requires safety clearance, and Musk does even have that: He’s held Prime Secret-level clearance since 2022. Particular tasks, nonetheless, can require extra addenda on high of the generalized clearance. SpaceX’s attorneys, in response to a brand new report from the Wall Avenue Journal, have suggested in opposition to Musk asking for these extra packages — for concern that he might lose even the clearance he has on account of his free lips, frequent conferences with overseas officers, and drug use:
The SpaceX legal professionals started analyzing the dangers of searching for a better safety clearance for Musk after the Journal reported in June of final 12 months about Musk’s use of ketamine, in response to one particular person aware of the assessment. The legal professionals and executives concluded that if SpaceX sought a better safety clearance, it could threat Musk being turned down, or worse, shedding the top-secret clearance he already has.
…
Musk’s present top-secret clearance offers him entry to some national-security secrets and techniques, however he lacks particular authorizations that the federal government requires of most SpaceX staff who work on labeled packages, in response to the individuals aware of the matter. These staff—greater than 400—have permissions for what is called “delicate compartmented data,” the federal government’s time period for need-to-know secrets and techniques about how intelligence is collected and the place it comes from, one of many individuals mentioned. A smaller variety of SpaceX staff have entry to secrets and techniques the federal government deems much more delicate referred to as particular entry packages.
Musk’s top-secret clearance, with out these authorizations, doesn’t entitle him to entry sure details about SpaceX’s spy satellite tv for pc program, referred to as Starshield, which gives satellite tv for pc {hardware} and companies to national-security businesses, the individuals mentioned. He isn’t allowed to enter most SpaceX amenities the place labeled work is finished and mentioned, and he not often is aware about labeled components of cargo that his rockets blast into house, reminiscent of sensors and different {hardware} hooked up to spy satellites.
Musk’s firm launches all matter of apparatus into house for the U.S. authorities, and Musk isn’t allowed to know what most of it’s — a limitation not shared by the CEOs of Boeing and Lockheed Martin, who the Journal states each have higher-level “delicate compartmented data” entry.
After all, The Journal gives this might all change on a dime when Donald Trump enters the white home subsequent month, via the proposed Division of Authorities Effectivity, however there’s no assure that it’ll. Musk has reportedly not precisely gotten together with the Trump camp, along with his behavior of enjoying up his personal significance apparently grating on the nerves of Trump’s crew. Trump himself has even advised audiences he “can’t do away with” Musk, irrespective of how a lot he tries.
The cringily-named DOGE stands out as the regulatory equal of handing your youthful cousin an unplugged Ps controller in order that they really feel like they’re enjoying — as a physique not created by Congress, its powers are restricted to advising the chief department on selections to make. It’s completely potential that it exists to make its members really feel necessary whereas holding them away from something they will actually break (or annoy). If that’s the case, extra safety clearances might not include the territory.
The truth that Musk can’t know what goes to house on his personal rockets is nice enjoyable, however one has to surprise how a lot he’d actually threat by asking for additional safety clearances. In spite of everything, NASA has a proud historical past of counting on the brains of parents similar to Musk.
