The space entrepreneur Elon Musk is unlikely to receive government security clearances if he so applied, even as his SpaceX launch company blasts military and spy agency payloads into orbit, according to a report on Monday.
The billionaire, a close ally of Donald Trump, who is set to join the incoming administration as an efficiency expert and recently became the first person to exceed $400bn in self-made personal wealth, is reported by the Wall Street Journal to have been advised by SpaceX lawyers not to seek highest-level security clearances owing to personal drug use and contacts with foreign nationals.
Musk currently holds a “top-secret” clearance that took years to obtain after he discussed use of marijuana on a 2018 podcast with Joe Rogan, according to the outlet. But that may not be enough to have access to information about US government payloads in his rockets.
Typically, candidates undergoing federal security screenings by the department of defense may not receive clearance if the agency expresses concerns about drug or alcohol use, criminal conduct, psychological conditions, sexual behavior or allegiance to the US.
He personally doesn't need to know what's in the payloads, for the company to deliver on the rocket contracts.
The mechanical and electrical interfaces between the rocket and the payload are pretty standardized, and the payload can complete most of its testing in a separate facility from the launch vehicle.
I would guess the main concerns about classified data are people getting peeks when the spacecraft is being installed, launch technicians that need to get inside the fairing during checkout, loading last minute software and encryption keys, and secure function checkout for the spacecraft on the pad.
Hey guys how's the launch prep going? You don't mind if I take a peek around the shuttle, do you?