A fierce public feud between Elon Musk and former President Donald Trump has sent shockwaves through the U.S. space community, placing nearly $22 billion in government contracts with SpaceX in jeopardy. The dispute, which erupted after Musk criticized Trump’s tax and spending policies, quickly escalated with both figures exchanging barbs on social media and in public statements.
During a fiery exchange in the Oval Office, Trump lashed out at Musk, who responded with a dramatic — though short-lived — threat to decommission SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, a key NASA vehicle for transporting astronauts to the International Space Station. Though Musk later walked back the statement, saying “Ok, we won’t decommission Dragon,” the mere suggestion rattled policymakers and industry leaders.
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The Dragon capsule is central to NASA’s operations, serving as the only American-built spacecraft currently capable of carrying astronauts to and from the ISS. Under a $5 billion contract, its potential withdrawal would disrupt not only U.S. space missions but also international cooperation aboard the space station.
Trump’s threat to terminate contracts with Musk’s companies raises questions about political interference in federal procurement. The former president has historically favored SpaceX, backing policies that benefited the company, including a shift in NASA’s focus from the Moon to Mars and strategic military space initiatives.
NASA has remained cautious in its public response, stating only that it continues to work with industry partners to fulfill national space goals. However, the feud could stall U.S. progress in space exploration if political tensions spill into mission-critical operations.
