A tense war of words between Donald Trump and Elon Musk spilled onto social media Thursday, with the billionaire entrepreneur briefly threatening to shut down a critical component of NASA’s space operations. The clash escalated when Musk claimed he would begin decommissioning SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, the capsule used to ferry astronauts and cargo to the International Space Station (ISS).
The threat came in direct response to Trump’s warning that his administration could revoke key government contracts with both SpaceX and Musk’s Starlink satellite internet service.
“SpaceX will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately,” Musk wrote on X (formerly Twitter), reacting to the potential loss of U.S. funding.
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The statement sent ripples through the aerospace community, raising questions about the stability of America’s only privately operated crewed spaceflight program. But just hours later, Musk seemed to reverse course. Responding to a separate X user, he clarified that he would not move forward with the threat.
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Despite its brief lifespan, Musk’s post highlighted just how deeply entwined SpaceX has become with U.S. space infrastructure. Developed with significant support from NASA, the Dragon capsule is vital to keeping the ISS operational. SpaceX is currently the only American company capable of transporting astronauts to and from the station using its four-person Dragon capsules.
NASA’s other commercial partner, Boeing, has struggled to keep up. Its Starliner capsule has only flown astronauts once, in a test flight last year that encountered major issues. The mission ended with the astronauts returning aboard a SpaceX capsule after more than nine months in orbit. Starliner is now grounded as NASA debates whether to attempt another test flight with cargo instead of crew, AP reported.
While NASA awaits progress from Boeing, SpaceX continues to carry both astronauts and supplies. The company also runs private missions using Dragon, including an upcoming Axiom Space charter set to launch next week. Cargo variants of the Dragon routinely deliver food and equipment to the ISS.
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Russia’s Soyuz capsule remains the only other functioning crew transport system, launching three people at a time. Currently, Soyuz flights carry two Russian cosmonauts and one NASA astronaut, while each SpaceX mission includes one Russian crew member. This arrangement ensures both nations maintain a presence aboard each spacecraft in case of emergencies requiring evacuation.
SpaceX’s role became critical in 2020, when it launched the first-ever orbital crewed flight by a private company, reducing NASA’s dependence on costly Russian rides. For years, the U.S. had paid tens of millions per seat aboard Soyuz missions.
Beyond astronaut transport, SpaceX has launched scientific missions, military hardware, and even won a contract to deorbit the ISS when it reaches end-of-life. NASA has also tapped SpaceX’s Starship megarocket to deliver astronauts from lunar orbit to the moon’s surface for at least the first two missions of its Artemis program.
Starship, however, remains in testing. Its latest flight, the ninth to date, ended in failure last week when the rocket lost control and disintegrated over Texas.
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