WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) 鈥 President-elect Donald Trump appears to be planning to attend a SpaceX 鈥淪tarship鈥 rocket launch on Tuesday, in the latest indication of founder Elon Musk 's influence in the Republican's orbit.
The has temporary flight restrictions over Brownsville and Boca Chica, Texas area for a VIP visit that coincides with the SpaceX launch window for a test of its massive Starship rocket from its launch facility on the Gulf of Mexico. The flight restrictions put in place over Trump鈥檚 home in Palm Beach, Florida when he is there will be lifted briefly while the Texas security measures are in place.
Trump's visit comes as billionaire Musk has been a near-constant presence at Trump鈥檚 side as he builds out his administration, attending meetings at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club, accompanying him to meetings with Capitol Hill Republicans in Washington last week and to a UFC fight in New York on Saturday.
Trump frequently regaled audiences on the campaign trail with a dramatic account of the last Starship test, that included the at its launchpad by a pair of mechanical arms.
Tuesday's 30-minute launch window opens at 4 p.m. central time, , with the company again looking to test the landing capture system of the booster in Texas, while the upper stage continues to a splashdown in the Indian Ocean.
Musk pumped through his political action committee to help elect Trump and has been named, along with former GOP presidential candidate , to lead an tasked by Trump to dramatically cut governmental costs and reshape how Washington operates, which has sparked over Musk's many interests before the federal government.
The Trump transition team did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the president-elect's plans.
