Elon Musk threatens to decommission key space station link for NASA
Donald Trump and Elon Musk. Image via AP.

Trump Musk
A messy public feud could have serious consequences at Kennedy Space Center.

As President Donald Trump and Elon Musk argued on social media on Thursday, the world’s richest man threatened to decommission a space capsule used to take astronauts and supplies to the International Space Station.

After Trump threatened to cut government contracts given to Musk’s SpaceX rocket company and his Starlink internet satellite services, Musk responded via X that SpaceX “will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately.”

It’s unclear how serious Musk’s threat was. But the capsule, developed with the help of government contracts, is an important part of keeping the space station running. NASA also relies heavily on SpaceX for other programs including launching science missions and, later this decade, returning astronauts to the surface of the moon.

The Dragon capsule

SpaceX is the only U.S. company capable right now of transporting crews to and from the space station, using its four-person Dragon capsules.

Boeing’s Starliner capsule has flown astronauts only once; last year’s test flight went so badly that the two NASA astronauts had to hitch a ride back to Earth via SpaceX in March, more than nine months after launching last June.

Starliner remains grounded as NASA decides whether to go with another test flight with cargo, rather than a crew.

SpaceX also uses a Dragon capsule for its own privately run missions. The next one of those is due to fly next week on a trip chartered by Axiom Space, a Houston company.

Cargo versions of the Dragon capsule are also used to ferry food and other supplies to the orbiting lab.

NASA’s other option: Russia

Russia’s Soyuz capsules are the only other means of getting crews to the space station right now.

The Soyuz capsules hold three people at a time. For now, each Soyuz launch carries two Russians and one NASA astronaut, and each SpaceX launch has one Russian on board under a barter system. That way, in an emergency requiring a capsule to return, there is always someone from the U.S. and Russian on board.

With its first crew launch for NASA in 2020 — the first orbital flight of a crew by a private company — SpaceX enabled NASA to reduce its reliance on Russia for crew transport. The Russian flights had been costing the U.S. tens of millions of dollars per seat, for years.

NASA has also used Russian spacecraft for cargo, along with U.S. contractor Northrup Grumman.

SpaceX’s other government launches

The company has used its rockets to launch several science missions for NASA as well as military equipment.

Last year, SpaceX also won a NASA contract to help bring the space station out of orbit when it is no longer usable.

SpaceX’s Starship mega rocket is what NASA has picked to get astronauts from lunar orbit to the surface of the moon, at least for the first two landing missions. Starship made its ninth test flight last week from Texas, but tumbled out of control and broke apart.

___

Republished with permission of The Associated Press

Associated Press


6 comments

  • ScienceBLVR

    June 5, 2025 at 8:46 pm

    They looked at each other, baffled, in love and hate.”
    ― William Golding, Lord of the Flies

    Reply

    • Bill

      June 6, 2025 at 8:12 am

      Very apropos. Lord of the Flies is the perfect analogy for the executive branch these days.

      Reply

  • KJP

    June 5, 2025 at 9:20 pm

    I like Elon but he is acting like a complete idiot right now.

    Reply

  • Michael K

    June 5, 2025 at 9:27 pm

    This is as predictable as the sun rising in the east. No matter how big the investment, the current president always turns on people and throws them under the bus.

    Reply

    • PeterH

      June 6, 2025 at 8:29 am

      Peering out from the underside of the Republican Clown Bus, Musk has the financial resources to disrupt the Republican Party’s agenda. Butter that popcorn!

      Reply

  • Doug Hay

    June 6, 2025 at 9:11 am

    Hopefully, the big boys’ hurt egos will not cost astronaut lives.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


#FlaPol

Florida Politics is a statewide, new media platform covering campaigns, elections, government, policy, and lobbying in Florida. This platform and all of its content are owned by Extensive Enterprises Media.

Publisher: Peter Schorsch @PeterSchorschFL

Contributors & reporters: Phil Ammann, Drew Dixon, Roseanne Dunkelberger, Liam Fineout, A.G. Gancarski, Ryan Nicol, Jacob Ogles, Cole Pepper, Andrew Powell, Jesse Scheckner, Janelle Taylor, Drew Wilson, and Mike Wright.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @PeterSchorschFL
Phone: (727) 642-3162
Address: 204 37th Avenue North #182
St. Petersburg, Florida 33704