In a legal dispute between Elon Musk and the California Coastal Commission over the number of rockets the billionaire's company can launch from the coast, Gov. Gavin Newsom has sided with Musk, saying over the weekend,

T HE LAUNCH was remarkable: a booster rocket with twice the power of the Apollo programme’s Saturn V lancing into the early-morning sky on a tight, bright column of blue-tinged flame. But that wonder has been seen four times before. It was the landing of the booster stage of SpaceX ’s fifth Starship test flight which was truly extraordinary.

Musk says his space exploration achievements are the sort of innovation the US needs. Trump has begun to echo that sentiment.