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.

The move comes after California Coastal Commission members raised concerns about Musk’s political rhetoric at a hearing last week.