Musk’s prominence during inauguration ceremonies stamps place in Trump’s orbit

Elon Musk arrives on stage to speak at an indoor presidential inauguration parade event in Washington. Picture: Susan Walsh/AP

Getting humans to Mars has long been an obsession for SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk, and on Monday that project got a full endorsement from the newly sworn-in US president.

During his inaugural address, President Donald Trump promised he would “pursue our manifest destiny into the stars, launching American astronauts who plant the Stars and Stripes on the planet Mars”.