One month after SpaceX successfully landed its Falcon 9 rocket on a platform at sea, company founder Elon Musk held a private meeting with the Pentagon chief.
While the details of the meeting remain secret, Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook gave some indication of what the basic elements of the meeting would entail while speaking to reporters on Monday.
"Elon Musk is one of the most innovative minds in this country and the secretary, as you know, has been reaching out to a number of members of the technology community to get their ideas, their feedback, find out what’s going on in the world of innovation," Cook said.
"The secretary’s had a number of meetings with business leaders and innovation leaders in particular out in Silicon Valley, other parts of the country, and I think that’s his goal here: to hear directly from Elon Musk on some of these issues."
Carter has been an ardent supporter of strengthening ties between the US military and private tech companies. In the past, he has also reached out to Silicon Valley as part of an initiative to improve the Defense Department’s cybersecurity.
Musk has sought a military contracting role for SpaceX. Last April, the company was awarded an $82.7 million contract to launch the US Air Force’s next generation GPS satellites into orbit in 2018.
The successful landing of the Falcon 9 is a major step for the company in its goal to provide cheaper access to space with reusable rockets. SpaceX plans to relaunch a recovered rocket in the fall.
