Musk threatens to retire Dragon spacecraft amid feud with Trump, then backtracks — analyst warns of risks to U.S. space program • The Insider • RIMA — архив российских независимых медиа
Elon Musk announced on June 5 he would retire SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft amidst an ongoing public spat with U.S. President Donald Trump — only to reverse the decision hours later.
“In light of the President’s statement about cancellation of my government contracts, SpaceX will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately.”
Musk's now-deleted tweet about decommissioning SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft.
Screenshot: The Independent
Crew Dragon — the spacecraft's crewed version, capable of carrying up to four passengers — is currently the only American vehicle capable of independently transporting astronauts to the International Space Station without relying on Russia’s Soyuz capsules. Musk’s threat, had it materialized, would have jeopardized NASA’s ability to carry out crewed space missions.
However, Musk appeared to walk back the statement later that day, replying to a user on X who urged him to “cool off and take a step back for a couple days.”
“Good advice. Ok, we won’t decommission Dragon,” Musk responded.
Screenshot: The Insider
Rocket launch analyst and aerospace commentator Georgy Trishkin told The Insider that the situation amounts to “blackmail on both sides”:
“Canceling existing fixed-price contracts for SpaceX would paralyze NASA’s key programs, including astronaut delivery to the ISS and the lunar landing as part of the Artemis program. The U.S. simply has no way to quickly replace these capabilities — Boeing’s Starliner is still being refined, and Blue Origin’s Blue Moon is lagging behind SpaceX’s Starship HLS.
At the same time, SpaceX’s financial dependence on government contracts is decreasing thanks to growing revenue from Starlink. This year, SpaceX’s turnover could exceed $15.5 billion.
Canceling the current contracts would require a complex procedure involving Congress. If the Twitter feud has any consequences, they won’t be immediate. So there’s no direct threat to upcoming U.S. missions for now.
We’re witnessing, in real time, a rift between government and private spaceflight that will lead to the parallel existence of several independent programs. Given the planned cuts to NASA’s budget, the current Trump administration is the main threat to the future of American space exploration — and that plays directly into China’s hands.”
First unveiled by Elon Musk in May 2014, Crew Dragon is a reusable spacecraft developed by SpaceX that can carry up to seven passengers. NASA signed a contract that same year to use the vehicle for transporting astronauts.
Currently, missions to the International Space Station rely on either Crew Dragon or Russia’s Soyuz spacecraft, launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
Tensions between Musk and Trump reportedly began when the president declined to appoint astronaut Jared Isaacman, a close associate of Musk’s, as NASA administrator. The dispute intensified after Musk publicly condemned Trump’s proposed tax legislation — the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” — calling it a “disgusting abomination.”
According to a report by Politico, the White House is now preparing a phone call between the two men in an effort to end their public clash, which has led to a drop in Musk’s companies’ stock prices and a spike in criticism of both figures inside the U.S.
