Well only Musk knows for sure. But if I had to guess I’d say it’s because a ride on Dragon is more involved. Bezos and Branson both went on their suborbital vehicles which need minimal training and are very short. A trip on dragon is minimum a few days and requires a lot more preparation and training. Issa man just seems to be doing space things lately. I’m guessing Musk, with several companies to run, doesn’t want to take the significant time that would be required to go. Also he may not be as interested personally in going to space, but gets his space kick from running SpaceX.
I’d expect him to go if SpaceX gets a vehicle that’s more causal. Crewed starship probably.
It's also a statement about the mission of SpaceX, if Elon doesn't use it to fly then unlike blue origin or virgin, SpaceX wasn't a billionaire trampoline to space. After enough people fly I'd imagine Elon going without it being as much of an image problem.
The stars have not aligned yet for the gateway to open. Once the door swings wide, Elon Musk will depart into the great abyss, just in time to escape the dark maw that will consume us all.
He probably doesn't have time for that commitment. He's too busy. Besides, he said he will go to Mars if that becomes a possibility within his lifetime
Because he's afraid of dying before completing his vision of settling Mars. He's hinted at that many times, he was offered to join Dear Moon too.
Musk is very aware of rhe 1:270 or better chance. He's not going to take a 0.1% risk or worse to his dream for an LEO joyride, which he doesn't even find impressive. Maybe he'll go for the moon.
That said he has done stuff like stand on top of a flying plane, when not having a toddler to raise, so maybe his risk perception can be muddled. He seems to be becoming more cautious with age though.
Because it would violate alllll sorts of securities requirements around being CEO and not unduly risking yourself.
Bezos has to step down as CEO of Amazon before his ride.
Going to space takes a lot of time dedicated to training and prep. He runs several large companies. Even if he had the time to take the flight I don’t think he has the down time to do the rigorous preparation.
To do what? So he could call himself an astronaut? Play in freefall a few days? I don't think he's interested in those things...it's certainly not what he started SpaceX for.
Maybe for the same reason why he didn’t take a holidays or time off in last 10years.
And there may be some contract with Tesla that he is not allowed into any risky activities. It is publicly traded company.
People in the comments saying that he doesn't have the time? That's baloney. He could make the time if he wanted to. If there is something we all know about Elon.. it's that he does what he wants.
My guess is that he either is afraid to go, or just simply doesn't want to go. It's not that crazy really. I love space and I'd like to go someday, but I wouldn't want to ride on a rocket either. It's extremely uncomfortable, it's damaging to the body, and I'd want another decade of experience before I feel safe enough with the rocket.
I'd be interested in his reason, but if he says "lack of time" then I'm just going to assume he doesn't want to give the real answer.
My guess is he is too scared to risk his life and/or unwilling to fly in a cramped capsule with other human beings, not even being the commander and having to pee and shit in diapers. The irony is that a short, relatively safe and comfortable suborbital flight like on New Sheppard, and then being able to claim to be an astronaut, is something I suspect he might have done if he hadnt owned spacex.
Of course, none of that is gonna stop him from preaching *other* people should definitely go on a multi year or life long claustrophobia challenge, risk their lives, increase their chance of cancer and give up on all of earths luxuries like breathable air and oceans to go live under a rock on mars. But you can bet your life Musk never will.
Someone finally says it. Yes, this is why. "Too busy" is a weak excuse. No single human is so important as to have every waking moment for years encumbered with obligations to their work. His companies seem to do better when he isn't around, anyway. I'm sure they'd all like him to take a trip. He's just too scared.
Scared?
LMAO in 2015,[ Elon Musk Turns Daredevil With Aerial Stunt ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtX8B_8cC3o)
For some serious answer:
[https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2021/09/elon-musk-spacex-branson-bezos/620152/](https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2021/09/elon-musk-spacex-branson-bezos/620152/)
>
But Garrett Reisman, a retired NASA astronaut and an engineering professor at the University of Southern California, shared with me an anecdote that offers a hint of an explanation. Reisman is a senior adviser to SpaceX, where he previously worked on the company’s program to [transport NASA astronauts](https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2020/05/spacex-nasa-astronaut-launch-new-era/612124/). Early on, Reisman met with Musk to discuss some specifics about future crewed flights. Boeing, which was developing its own system with NASA’s help, had decided that its first test flight would carry one NASA astronaut and one astronaut employed by Boeing. (That flight has yet to happen because of [hardware](https://www.theverge.com/2021/8/13/22623609/boeing-starliner-capsule-iss-launch-valve-troubleshooting-delay) and [software](https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2020/02/boeing-nasa-starliner-software-problems/606361/) issues.) Reisman said that a similar arrangement “could be good for morale” at SpaceX: The chance to become a company astronaut would surely energize the workforce. “And he looked right at me and he said, ‘Why would anyone want to go to low-Earth orbit?’”
>Musk looked completely serious. Reisman, who’d spent more than 100 days in space, replied: “Well, I kind of enjoyed it.”
>“I’m sure he would have a great time,” Reisman told me. But what Reisman took from that exchange was that Musk doesn’t find it so impressive to reach low-Earth orbit, where hundreds of satellites, the International Space Station, and most astronauts who have been to space have spent their time
......
>
A few former SpaceX employees I spoke with suggested that Musk might board one of the first crewed flights of Starship, the spacecraft that SpaceX is developing to [reach the moon and Mars](https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2021/05/elon-musk-spacex-starship-launch/618781/). That would certainly be a bit more momentous.
Unlike Bezos and Branson, Musk doesn’t have something urgent to prove about the capability of his rockets and capsules. SpaceX is one of the most reliable spaceflight companies in the world, and its Falcon 9 rocket is considered an industry workhorse. Bezos wanted to prove that if Blue Origin was safe for him, it would be safe for his customers, but Musk has already demonstrated SpaceX’s safety with the launch of professional astronauts. Nor is Musk the showman that Branson has always been and Bezos [has become](https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2021/06/jeff-bezos-blue-origin-musk-branson/619140/)—he is likelier than not to go off on jargon-laden tangents about rocket engines.
>I spoke with several former SpaceX employees for this story, and they suspect that Musk probably won’t fly to space until he feels that Tesla and SpaceX can do without his personal contributions. Although SpaceX’s crewed missions so far have gone beautifully, the work is still dangerous—rockets can explode, after all—and Musk may have calculated that the hazards, however small, outweigh any potential benefits.
You and most of the folks here seem to ascribe much more value to a single individual than is warranted. I can tell you for a fact that there is no example of a successful company failing to survive the demise of its founder in modern times. Apple made its way to a trillion dollar valuation only after the death of its founder, for example. People are replaceable, especially when they come with as much baggage as Elon brings. So while he might think he's the center of SpaceX and Tesla's universe, that's more a characteristic of his narcissism than any reality.
You know that I typed "he's afraid that his dead would", it's his feeling, not my feeling you know.
Now, will his company survive? I'm sure it will.
But just like how Apple being less bold, less creative, and more about profit maximizing after Steve Jobs dead, you can pretty much expect the same thing with his companies.
[Apple went rotten after Steve Jobs’ death, former engineer claims ](https://www.siliconvalley.com/2018/09/27/apple-went-rotten-after-steve-jobs-death-former-engineer-claims/)
[Steve Jobs was not an inventor so much as an editor. None of the products he’s remembered for were the first in their category, and every one of them bulged with work done by people who had skills that Jobs did not possess. But he had a near-superhuman ability to know what to put into a product and what to leave out. He could make the seams between hardware and software nearly vanish. He made hard decisions that were often questioned, but almost always prescient and—eventually—widely imitated. No single person has taken on that responsibility in the Cook era, and it shows. Compared to earlier days, the company has released more than its share of half-baked products, ](https://www.fastcompany.com/90682991/what-apple-has-lost-and-gained-since-steve-jobs-died-10-years-ago)
What about SpaceX? Do you really think SpaceX would take such an ambitious project like Starship without the madman that's Musk? Without Musk, the company would be on the hand of wallstreat, and you surely know how that's gonna end up, all about profit, no more taking big risk like Starlink, Starship, the would never try to reuse Falcon 9, even worse SpaceX would turn to be like Boeing.
Tesla? I'm sure it would be fine, it would be an excellent car companies, but again don't expect them to do something radical, just like, you know when Tesla build that Giga Nevada when all the analysis said it was dumb?
xAI and Neuralink? Being a nascent company, you can pretty much their funding dried up without Musk.
X aka Twitter? Well, can't be worse.
That's just the reality, what made Musk be an asshole, dick, narcisstic, it's also what made him drove his companies to do what many consider to be a dumb idea at the beginning.
Oh, you know Elon personally? How do you know these things? Is it part of your imaginary friendship you have with him? Because you literally have no clue and I can guarantee you've never met the dude in person, much less had enough of a conversation to make these bold, unsubstantiated observations.
Seems like you don't really know what that means. What about calling out your imaginary friendship involved me projecting? I certainly didn't represent that I had intimate knowledge of Elon's psyche, but you sure did.
Well only Musk knows for sure. But if I had to guess I’d say it’s because a ride on Dragon is more involved. Bezos and Branson both went on their suborbital vehicles which need minimal training and are very short. A trip on dragon is minimum a few days and requires a lot more preparation and training. Issa man just seems to be doing space things lately. I’m guessing Musk, with several companies to run, doesn’t want to take the significant time that would be required to go. Also he may not be as interested personally in going to space, but gets his space kick from running SpaceX. I’d expect him to go if SpaceX gets a vehicle that’s more causal. Crewed starship probably.
I don’t think my boss would trust me to load him into a spacecraft and operate it. He knows what would happen..
It's also a statement about the mission of SpaceX, if Elon doesn't use it to fly then unlike blue origin or virgin, SpaceX wasn't a billionaire trampoline to space. After enough people fly I'd imagine Elon going without it being as much of an image problem.
He doesn't want to go back yet
The stars have not aligned yet for the gateway to open. Once the door swings wide, Elon Musk will depart into the great abyss, just in time to escape the dark maw that will consume us all.
He wants to go back home, we just can’t make it to Mar yet.
He probably doesn't have time for that commitment. He's too busy. Besides, he said he will go to Mars if that becomes a possibility within his lifetime
The suborbital hops are one thing. Going on an orbital mission takes some training time. I doubt Elon think the sacrificed time is worth it.
Simply busy.
Because he's afraid of dying before completing his vision of settling Mars. He's hinted at that many times, he was offered to join Dear Moon too. Musk is very aware of rhe 1:270 or better chance. He's not going to take a 0.1% risk or worse to his dream for an LEO joyride, which he doesn't even find impressive. Maybe he'll go for the moon. That said he has done stuff like stand on top of a flying plane, when not having a toddler to raise, so maybe his risk perception can be muddled. He seems to be becoming more cautious with age though.
Honestly I'm betting he won't fly until Starship is en masse flying to Mars on the regular. Then he might move to Mars permanently.
Because it would violate alllll sorts of securities requirements around being CEO and not unduly risking yourself. Bezos has to step down as CEO of Amazon before his ride.
No. It's neither strange, nor ironic
Not interested in pleasure trips. Sold all his houses, does not wear expensive shit, just makes cars, rockets and babies. Pretty low to earth guy.
Going to space takes a lot of time dedicated to training and prep. He runs several large companies. Even if he had the time to take the flight I don’t think he has the down time to do the rigorous preparation.
He's waiting for a seat on a ship to Mars.
To do what? So he could call himself an astronaut? Play in freefall a few days? I don't think he's interested in those things...it's certainly not what he started SpaceX for.
Maybe for the same reason why he didn’t take a holidays or time off in last 10years. And there may be some contract with Tesla that he is not allowed into any risky activities. It is publicly traded company.
I hate these stupid projections from stupid views of the world and people
what does this have to do with anything and why?
What?
Maybe he wants to be the first man on mars.
He has like 69 children, and is key person in several companies.
He probably doesn't have the time, a lot of training is required. His goal is for space travel to become routine enough that he can do it more easily.
Coz he’s not one of the have nots.
People in the comments saying that he doesn't have the time? That's baloney. He could make the time if he wanted to. If there is something we all know about Elon.. it's that he does what he wants. My guess is that he either is afraid to go, or just simply doesn't want to go. It's not that crazy really. I love space and I'd like to go someday, but I wouldn't want to ride on a rocket either. It's extremely uncomfortable, it's damaging to the body, and I'd want another decade of experience before I feel safe enough with the rocket. I'd be interested in his reason, but if he says "lack of time" then I'm just going to assume he doesn't want to give the real answer.
Because he weighs in at about 250 lbs (118 kg)?
My guess is he is too scared to risk his life and/or unwilling to fly in a cramped capsule with other human beings, not even being the commander and having to pee and shit in diapers. The irony is that a short, relatively safe and comfortable suborbital flight like on New Sheppard, and then being able to claim to be an astronaut, is something I suspect he might have done if he hadnt owned spacex. Of course, none of that is gonna stop him from preaching *other* people should definitely go on a multi year or life long claustrophobia challenge, risk their lives, increase their chance of cancer and give up on all of earths luxuries like breathable air and oceans to go live under a rock on mars. But you can bet your life Musk never will.
Someone finally says it. Yes, this is why. "Too busy" is a weak excuse. No single human is so important as to have every waking moment for years encumbered with obligations to their work. His companies seem to do better when he isn't around, anyway. I'm sure they'd all like him to take a trip. He's just too scared.
Scared? LMAO in 2015,[ Elon Musk Turns Daredevil With Aerial Stunt ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtX8B_8cC3o) For some serious answer: [https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2021/09/elon-musk-spacex-branson-bezos/620152/](https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2021/09/elon-musk-spacex-branson-bezos/620152/) > But Garrett Reisman, a retired NASA astronaut and an engineering professor at the University of Southern California, shared with me an anecdote that offers a hint of an explanation. Reisman is a senior adviser to SpaceX, where he previously worked on the company’s program to [transport NASA astronauts](https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2020/05/spacex-nasa-astronaut-launch-new-era/612124/). Early on, Reisman met with Musk to discuss some specifics about future crewed flights. Boeing, which was developing its own system with NASA’s help, had decided that its first test flight would carry one NASA astronaut and one astronaut employed by Boeing. (That flight has yet to happen because of [hardware](https://www.theverge.com/2021/8/13/22623609/boeing-starliner-capsule-iss-launch-valve-troubleshooting-delay) and [software](https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2020/02/boeing-nasa-starliner-software-problems/606361/) issues.) Reisman said that a similar arrangement “could be good for morale” at SpaceX: The chance to become a company astronaut would surely energize the workforce. “And he looked right at me and he said, ‘Why would anyone want to go to low-Earth orbit?’” >Musk looked completely serious. Reisman, who’d spent more than 100 days in space, replied: “Well, I kind of enjoyed it.” >“I’m sure he would have a great time,” Reisman told me. But what Reisman took from that exchange was that Musk doesn’t find it so impressive to reach low-Earth orbit, where hundreds of satellites, the International Space Station, and most astronauts who have been to space have spent their time ...... > A few former SpaceX employees I spoke with suggested that Musk might board one of the first crewed flights of Starship, the spacecraft that SpaceX is developing to [reach the moon and Mars](https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2021/05/elon-musk-spacex-starship-launch/618781/). That would certainly be a bit more momentous. Unlike Bezos and Branson, Musk doesn’t have something urgent to prove about the capability of his rockets and capsules. SpaceX is one of the most reliable spaceflight companies in the world, and its Falcon 9 rocket is considered an industry workhorse. Bezos wanted to prove that if Blue Origin was safe for him, it would be safe for his customers, but Musk has already demonstrated SpaceX’s safety with the launch of professional astronauts. Nor is Musk the showman that Branson has always been and Bezos [has become](https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2021/06/jeff-bezos-blue-origin-musk-branson/619140/)—he is likelier than not to go off on jargon-laden tangents about rocket engines. >I spoke with several former SpaceX employees for this story, and they suspect that Musk probably won’t fly to space until he feels that Tesla and SpaceX can do without his personal contributions. Although SpaceX’s crewed missions so far have gone beautifully, the work is still dangerous—rockets can explode, after all—and Musk may have calculated that the hazards, however small, outweigh any potential benefits.
Still sounds like he's making excuses that boil down to "I'm afraid."
If you're saying he's afraid that his dead would cast a doom spell for SpaceX, Tesla, X, xAI, Boring Co., and Neuralink, then you are right, I guess.
You and most of the folks here seem to ascribe much more value to a single individual than is warranted. I can tell you for a fact that there is no example of a successful company failing to survive the demise of its founder in modern times. Apple made its way to a trillion dollar valuation only after the death of its founder, for example. People are replaceable, especially when they come with as much baggage as Elon brings. So while he might think he's the center of SpaceX and Tesla's universe, that's more a characteristic of his narcissism than any reality.
You know that I typed "he's afraid that his dead would", it's his feeling, not my feeling you know. Now, will his company survive? I'm sure it will. But just like how Apple being less bold, less creative, and more about profit maximizing after Steve Jobs dead, you can pretty much expect the same thing with his companies. [Apple went rotten after Steve Jobs’ death, former engineer claims ](https://www.siliconvalley.com/2018/09/27/apple-went-rotten-after-steve-jobs-death-former-engineer-claims/) [Steve Jobs was not an inventor so much as an editor. None of the products he’s remembered for were the first in their category, and every one of them bulged with work done by people who had skills that Jobs did not possess. But he had a near-superhuman ability to know what to put into a product and what to leave out. He could make the seams between hardware and software nearly vanish. He made hard decisions that were often questioned, but almost always prescient and—eventually—widely imitated. No single person has taken on that responsibility in the Cook era, and it shows. Compared to earlier days, the company has released more than its share of half-baked products, ](https://www.fastcompany.com/90682991/what-apple-has-lost-and-gained-since-steve-jobs-died-10-years-ago) What about SpaceX? Do you really think SpaceX would take such an ambitious project like Starship without the madman that's Musk? Without Musk, the company would be on the hand of wallstreat, and you surely know how that's gonna end up, all about profit, no more taking big risk like Starlink, Starship, the would never try to reuse Falcon 9, even worse SpaceX would turn to be like Boeing. Tesla? I'm sure it would be fine, it would be an excellent car companies, but again don't expect them to do something radical, just like, you know when Tesla build that Giga Nevada when all the analysis said it was dumb? xAI and Neuralink? Being a nascent company, you can pretty much their funding dried up without Musk. X aka Twitter? Well, can't be worse. That's just the reality, what made Musk be an asshole, dick, narcisstic, it's also what made him drove his companies to do what many consider to be a dumb idea at the beginning.
People like him are not driven by raw emotion as you assume. He would definitely not be where he is now, if that were the case.
Oh, you know Elon personally? How do you know these things? Is it part of your imaginary friendship you have with him? Because you literally have no clue and I can guarantee you've never met the dude in person, much less had enough of a conversation to make these bold, unsubstantiated observations.
Projection evident.
Seems like you don't really know what that means. What about calling out your imaginary friendship involved me projecting? I certainly didn't represent that I had intimate knowledge of Elon's psyche, but you sure did.