[aaaaaatttuyy]

> Musk is technically very clever (have you seen SpaceX rockets landing in tandem?)s o it's likely he has something that comes close to what he's saying.

This was done in the 90s, there's nothing special about landing rockets upright. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonnell_Douglas_DC-X

Also, being technically clever includes being able to navigate the problems that you brought up, such as the need to meet government standards, meet safety requirements and actually be useful.