On a recent episode of What Next, host Mary Harris spoke to Foer about how the history of NASA and its reliance on contractors paved the way for Elon Musk’s space monopoly. This transcript has been edited and condensed for clarity. Mary Harris: Tell me about Elon Musk. How does he enter the picture as a contractor with NASA?

SpaceX chief Elon Musk said on Monday that the Starship rocket will make its 10th test flight in August. Musk made the announcement in a post on X, saying, “Starship launches again next month.”

SpaceX prepares to launch NASA's Crew-11 mission with four astronauts from the U.S., Japan and Russia heading to the International Space Station.