Elon Musk briefly threatened to halt a key part of America’s space program this week in a fiery social media response to President Donald Trump. The conflict began when Trump posted on Truth Social suggesting that one way to reduce federal spending would be to cancel government contracts with Musk’s companies, including SpaceX. “The easiest way to save money in our Budget… is to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts,” Trump wrote, adding he was surprised that President Biden hadn’t done it sooner.
Hours later, Musk took to his own platform, X, to respond, stating that SpaceX would begin dismantling its Dragon spacecraft program “immediately” in light of Trump’s comments. The Dragon capsule is currently NASA’s only viable vehicle for transporting astronauts to and from the International Space Station (ISS). Its retirement would have left a significant gap in American human spaceflight capabilities.
The move, while likely impulsive, sent shockwaves across social media and raised concerns about the fragility of public-private partnerships at the heart of America’s space exploration agenda.
A Single Post Calms the Storm
But the crisis didn’t last long. Just hours after his initial post, Musk reversed course. A user on X, using the handle @Fab25june, urged the billionaire to cool off and “take a step back for a couple days.” Musk responded to the plea, writing simply: “Good advice. Ok, we won’t decommission Dragon.”
The quick turnaround prompted Bloomberg’s Joe Weisenthal to note the strange power of a small social media account, writing that a user with only 184 followers had “achieved de-escalation between two of the most powerful people in the world.”
Although the immediate threat to Dragon was defused, the episode left questions lingering. Was Musk ever serious about the threat? Could such an important spacecraft really be abandoned over a political spat? And how long will this uneasy ceasefire last?
From Allies to Adversaries: Musk Turns on Trump
The dust-up marked a dramatic shift in the relationship between Trump and Musk. Just months ago, Musk was among Trump’s most prominent business allies. He donated over $250 million to Trump’s 2024 re-election campaign and served as an informal advisor on technology and industry issues.
That alliance has now soured. On the same day as his threat to kill Dragon, Musk accused Trump of being ungrateful for his support. “Without me, Trump would have lost the election,” Musk wrote. “Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate. Such ingratitude.”
The public unraveling of their relationship, played out in real time on social media, is unusual even by the standards of two figures known for their bombastic online behavior. And it has real-world consequences, especially for SpaceX, which has become a cornerstone of U.S. space policy.
The Critical Role of Dragon in Space Missions
The Dragon spacecraft isn’t just another engineering marvel—it’s a linchpin in NASA’s space operations. In March, a Dragon capsule safely returned NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams from the ISS after they were left stranded due to issues with Boeing’s Starliner vehicle. In April, another Dragon mission successfully delivered nearly 7,000 pounds of equipment, experiments, and crew supplies to the orbiting lab.
Today, the ISS is home to seven astronauts, including three from NASA and mission commander Aleksey Ovchinin from Russia. With global cooperation at the heart of space missions, Dragon’s reliability is vital to maintaining international partnerships and ensuring safety in orbit.
In response to Musk’s outburst, NASA press secretary Bethany Stevens issued a brief but pointed message. “NASA will continue to execute upon the President’s vision for the future of space,” she wrote on X. “We will continue to work with our industry partners to ensure the President’s objectives in space are met.”
So far, NASA has not indicated any changes in its collaboration with SpaceX despite the drama.
A Private Company at the Heart of Public Space Ambitions
SpaceX has received more than $20 billion in federal contracts since 2008 from agencies including NASA and the U.S. Air Force. Dragon is a symbol of the public-private model that has redefined American spaceflight—efficient, reusable, and commercially developed. According to SpaceX, Dragon can carry up to seven passengers and is currently the only active spacecraft capable of bringing substantial cargo back to Earth.
While SpaceX is developing Starship, a next-generation rocket intended for deep-space missions, the technology is still in its testing phase. The most recent launch, in May, ended in a third consecutive explosion. Until Starship is ready for crewed missions, Dragon remains indispensable.
Last November, SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell stated that the company expects to use Dragon for at least another six to eight years. Any abrupt withdrawal of the program would significantly disrupt NASA’s planning and mission readiness.
