Elon Musk Invited to Visit Astronautics Museum in Russia's Kaluga

"Kaluga is the birthplace of cosmonautics. Many prominent people have been here. We are waiting for everyone related to space and, of course, Elon Musk as well. You are invited", Shapsha told reporters.

Musk, who is also known for co-founding electric car company Tesla, set up SpaceX to produce launch vehicles capable of taking people to Mars and anywhere else in the solar system, thus facilitating the space exploration through private enterprise.

Russian and Soviet scientist Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, who spent most of his life in a house on the outskirts of the city of Kaluga, is widely recognised as the originator of the idea of space exploration as well as a founding father of rocket science and cosmonautics.