US EditionThe U.S. Government Is Stuck With SpaceX. But Trump Can Still Hurt It.
- Elon Musk and Donald Trump are engaged in a public feud in 2025 that threatens Musk's SpaceX government contracts worth approximately $22 billion.
- The conflict began after Musk criticized a sweeping tax-cut bill championed by Trump, who then publicly threatened to terminate Musk's federal subsidies and contracts.
- SpaceX has been a key partner for NASA and the U.S. Defense Department since 2015, conducting regular missions and receiving contracts including a June 2024 $843 million award to develop a deorbit vehicle for the ISS.
- Experts emphasize SpaceX's critical role, with Scott Hubbard stating there is currently no alternative to its Falcon 9 and Dragon spacecraft, and Deputy Director Clayton Swope calling SpaceX a "vital organ" in U.S. Space efforts.
- While the government is unlikely to cancel existing contracts due to limited alternatives, the ongoing dispute raises uncertainty about the future of U.S. Space initiatives tied to Musk's companies.
42 Articles
42 Articles
How the U.S. became highly reliant on Elon Musk for access to space
SpaceX is best known for its high-profile crewed missions to the International Space Station and its ambitious Starship program. But the U.S. has become increasingly reliant on the company for critical and sometimes secret space operations. This relationship is now jeopardized by the escalating feud between SpaceX founder Elon Musk and President Trump.The ongoing dispute highlights the deep interdependence between the U.S. government and SpaceX.…
Musk-Trump rift threatens NASA, Pentagon programs: report
Elon Musk's threat, which he later retracted, to cut off NASA's use of SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft would be a huge blow to NASA, depriving the space agency of the only American vehicle capable of transporting astronauts to the International Space Station
Trump’s threat to cancel Musk’s contracts exposes risks of US reliance on SpaceX
WASHINGTON, June 7 — SpaceX’s rockets ferry US astronauts to the International Space Station. Its Starlink satellite constellation blankets the globe with broadband, and the company is embedded in some of the Pentagon’s most sensitive projects, including tracking hypersonic missiles. So when President Donald Trump threatened on Thursday to cancel Elon Musk’s federal contracts, space watchers snapped to attention. Musk, the world’s richest person…
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