Leading up to the Crew Dragon Demo-2 launch was extremely stressful, as we could not let anyone down, but I was confident we had done everything possible to ensure success.

Accepting the probabilities can diminish fear; I thought the odds of success with SpaceX were less than 10%, but I accepted that risk.

Experiencing the first crewed flight of New Shepard was emotionally powerful, especially seeing the nervousness of family saying goodbye.

The bar for safety is probably lowered a bit because of DeepSeek, which parallels the space race where the Soviets put a man in space first due to a lower safety bar.

The Apollo program was a technical marvel, achieving what was once thought impossible, and it deserves its place among great human achievements.

The SpaceX launch of human beings to orbit on May 30th, 2020, marked the beginning of a new era in human space exploration, providing hope during a challenging time in history.

The myth that a launch is a one-time event that must be perfect can hinder Founders; in reality, multiple launches can lead to valuable insights and improvements.

In 2008, both SpaceX and Tesla were facing dire situations. SpaceX had failed its third launch in a row, and Tesla was going bankrupt. It was a nerve-wracking time, but we managed to secure a contract with NASA to resupply the space station, which was a company saver.

Accepting the probabilities of success can help diminish fear. When I started SpaceX, I thought the odds of success were less than 10%, but I accepted that risk.