Trump - Musk conflict causes NASA trouble

The conflict between Mr. Trump and Mr. Musk is gradually becoming more intense. Photo: Reuters .

Elon Musk has threatened to stop NASA from using his space exploration company SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft in a post on X. The move comes amid an escalating dispute between him and the US President, after Mr. Trump threatened to cancel all federal contracts with Musk's companies.

Given SpaceX's importance to many federal programs, ending these relationships could put both NASA and the Pentagon and intelligence agencies in a vulnerable position, according to the Washington Post .

SpaceX has become a major player in the U.S. space program. Over the years, the company has launched sensitive national security payloads, including satellites that provide missile warning, battlefield communications, and guidance for precision weapons.

“The easiest way to save trillions of dollars in our budget is to end Elon’s government subsidies and contracts,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. Musk responded shortly after, writing that SpaceX “will begin decommissioning the Dragon spacecraft immediately.”

SpaceX’s Dragon capsule is currently the only US spacecraft capable of ferrying astronauts to and from the International Space Station (ISS). NASA has relied on the craft since 2020 under a $5 billion contract with its developer.

The Dragon isn’t the only SpaceX vehicle NASA is relying on. The agency is investing $4 billion in the development of the company’s next-generation rocket, called Starship, which it plans to use to send astronauts to the moon as part of its Artemis program.

At the Pentagon, SpaceX’s rocket operations play a key role in putting national security satellites into orbit. SpaceX’s military satellite division is building a massive orbital reconnaissance constellation for a U.S. intelligence agency.

Retiring Dragon would likely disrupt the ISS program, which involves dozens of countries under an international agreement that has existed for more than two decades, Reuters reported. But it is unclear how quickly that process would happen.

Simulation of the Dragon spacecraft carrying the first person into space. Photo: SpaceX.

In 2022, SpaceX decided to stop producing Dragon, focus on developing Starship as its main spacecraft and limit the fleet to four. NASA asked the company to produce more because Boeing's Starliner had many problems during development.

The Space Force recently awarded SpaceX nearly $6 billion in launch contracts, more than United Launch Alliance ($5.4 billion) and Blue Origin ($2.4 billion). As SpaceX continues to grow, with the Falcon 9 rocket launching more times than any other rocket in history, the company continues to receive more contracts, far outpacing its competitors.

Over the weekend, Trump withdrew Jared Isaacman from the NASA Administrator position, a move that was widely seen as aimed at Musk, who had been a vocal supporter of the position. In a recent interview, Isaacman suggested that his relationship with Musk may have been the reason he lost the opportunity.

Currently, Russia's Soyuz spacecraft is the only vehicle other than SpaceX that can take crews to the International Space Station. Each Soyuz carries three people, with a swap mechanism to ensure that both Americans and Russians are always on board.

It’s unclear whether the contract allows SpaceX to immediately stop delivering Dragon, according to the Washington Post . NASA spokeswoman Bethany Stevens wouldn’t say how the organization would continue to fly astronauts to the ISS without SpaceX, saying only that it would continue to pursue the government’s vision of space exploration.

Source: https://znews.vn/ong-trump-musk-mau-thuan-khien-nasa-gap-kho-post1558641.html