And Musk's focus on Mars as the next destination for humanity after low Earth orbit should come as no surprise; the billionaire has long had the Red Planet in his sights. In a December X post, for example, he dismissed the moon as "a distraction," saying that "we're going straight to Mars."

In a remarkable statement Thursday, SpaceX founder Elon Musk said the International Space Station should be deorbited "as soon as possible." This comment from Musk will surely set off a landmine in the global space community,