Elon Musk flies to Hawthorne the week after losing the OpenAI trial

Elon Musk flew from Moffett Federal Airfield in Mountain View to Jack Northrop Field in Hawthorne on May 20, a 52-minute hop aboard his Gulfstream G550, tail N272BG. The short flight came just two days after a federal jury in Oakland ruled against Musk in his lawsuit against OpenAI and Sam Altman, finding that he filed his claims outside the statute of limitations, per a CNBC report on May 18.

The timing is notable: Musk has vowed to appeal the verdict, which he called a “calendar technicality” on X, while his attention shifts to SpaceX’s upcoming IPO. CNBC reported on May 19 that SpaceX, valued at $1.25 trillion after merging with xAI, is expected to disclose its prospectus as soon as this week. Hawthorne is home to SpaceX’s headquarters and primary manufacturing facility, making this a return to the company’s nerve center.

Musk’s recent flight patterns show heavy cross-country movement — from Seattle to the Bay Area, then to Memphis, and back to Texas — consistent with a man juggling a trial, government contracts, and a public offering. The Hawthorne landing suggests he is now focused on the business at hand, not the courtroom.