When CNN asked Elon Musk about his Wednesday meeting with Secretary of Defense Ash Carter at the Pentagon, Musk replied via Twitter, saying, “Something about a flying metal suit…”
Musk’s joke is only the most recent in a long history of being compared to Marvel’s comic book character Tony Stark. Musk even had a cameo in “Iron Man 2.”
Officially, the Pentagon stated the SpaceX founder’s visit was merely to discuss “innovation,” something Musk certainly specializes in, and something the Department of Defense is always in the market for.
According to The Verge, DoD created an advisory board in March for just that purpose, to “tap innovation” from the private sector. The head of the board, Alphabet chairman Eric Schmidt, hopes to recruit 12 individuals from the private sector “who have successfully led large private and public organizations, and excelled at identifying and adopting new technology concepts.”
While no new members have been announced, it’s possible that Musk is being considered for one of the 12 seats.
In further resemblance to Stark, however, this would not be the first time Musk has worked with the U.S. military, as SpaceX won an unopposed April bid for an $87.2 million contract with the U.S. Air Force to launch a GPS satellite in the spring of 2018.
Previously, United Launch Alliance, a partnership between Boeing and Lockheed Martin, had been virtually the only organization to launch military satellites. SpaceX’s appearance, however, will undoubtedly upset the balance of the previously uncontested field. According to The Verge, the SpaceX’s baseline bid for launches is $60 million, more than $100 million below the advertised cost of ULA’s baseline Atlas V rocket.