The SpaceX CEO suggested he would retire the sole US spacecraft qualified to transport American astronauts.
The head of SpaceX has stated the company “will immediately begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft” after Donald Trump threatened to end all government funding and agreements with Elon Musk’s companies.
Trump and Musk had a tense exchange on social media Thursday regarding the former president’s criticism of the US president’s “Big and Beautiful” federal tax and spending bill. Musk called it a “pork-filled, disgusting abomination” that would lead to “debt slavery.”
Trump posted on Truth Social that “The easiest way to save Billions of Dollars in our Budget is to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts.” He claimed Musk was upset about the legislation because it would reduce tax breaks for electric vehicle buyers.
Musk responded on X shortly after, stating, “In light of the President’s statement about cancellation of my government contracts, @SpaceX will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately.”
The Crew Dragon capsule from SpaceX is the only American spacecraft capable of safely ferrying American astronauts into space. Since 2020, following the Space Shuttle program’s retirement in 2011, NASA has relied on it to transport both cargo and astronauts to the International Space Station.
Boeing’s Starliner project, a competitor, experienced multiple delays and technical problems. Its initial crewed mission, which was scheduled for 2017 but took place last June, resulted in two NASA astronauts being stranded on the ISS after the spacecraft was deemed unsafe for the return journey. Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams returned to Earth safely in March aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon, after Trump reportedly urged Musk to help rescue them and criticized Joe Biden for leaving them “stranded.”
Since 2008, SpaceX has been awarded contracts worth over $20 billion from NASA, the Air Force, and other US government organizations, making it one of the largest federal contractors. The seriousness of Musk’s threat and its potential impact on the US space program remain uncertain.
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