Musk-Trump breakup puts billions in SpaceX contracts at risk, jolting US space program

https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/spacex-will-decommission-dragon-spacecraft-musk-says-feud-with-trump-escalates-2025-06-05/


WASHINGTON, June 5 (Reuters) - The fate of roughly $22 billion worth of SpaceX's government contracts is at risk and multiple U.S. space programs face looming changes in the fallout of a worsening fight between Elon Musk and U.S. President Donald Trump, an explosive breakup over the administration's spending bill.

Disagreement spiraled quickly into fighting and chaos on Thursday after Trump lashed out at Musk in comments in the Oval Office. As Musk launched a series of missives on X, Trump threatened to terminate government contracts with companies owned by Musk, who in response said his space company "will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately."

SpaceX's Dragon capsule is the only U.S. spacecraft capable of sending astronauts to and from the International Space Station. NASA has relied on the spacecraft since 2020 under a contract with SpaceX worth $5 billion, one of many arrangements making Musk's space company a dominant element of the U.S. space program.

NASA did not immediately return a request for comment.

The feud has raised questions about how far Trump, an often unpredictable force who has politically intervened in past procurement efforts, is willing to go to punish Musk, such as whether the president would prioritize exacting political retaliation at the cost billions of dollars worth of SpaceX contracts that NASA and the Pentagon view as crucial to maintaining U.S. space power status.


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This is why you never let a private company control our skies, internet, or defense.