Elon Musk U-Turn: No More Retirement for Dragon Spacecraft After Trump Warning
SpaceX space capsule discontinuation announced by Musk, later retracted
In a swift reversal of fortune, tech magnate Elon Musk has decided to keep his Dragon spacecraft operational, following a dramatic spat with US President Donald Trump. Previously, Musk had announced the impending grounding of the Dragon spacecraft due to Trump's threat of cancellation for government contracts.
The feud between Musk and Trump started when Musk expressed his disapproval of a tax law supported by the president. In response, Trump labeled Musk "crazy" and vowed to revoke government contracts from Musk's firms. This escalating debacle sent Tesla's shares spiraling, with a staggering 14% decline in US trading. The dip translated to a loss of nearly $34 billion for Musk, reducing his net worth to $335 billion (approximately $293 billion).
But Musk, it seems, has had a change of heart. Responding to a follower who advised both parties to cool down, Musk tweeted, "Good advice. Ok, we won't retire Dragon."
The Dragon spacecraft is a significant asset for NASA, as it's the only U.S. spacecraft capable of transporting astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS). The contract between SpaceX and NASA for these services is worth around $5 billion. While other space companies like Blue Origin, founded by Amazon's Jeff Bezos, have made brief trips to space, SpaceX's Dragon is what keeps the ISS functioning smoothly.
This incident also coincides with another Trump announcement—the withdrawal of Jared Isaacman, a Musk ally, from his planned position as the new NASA chief due to his lack of alignment with Trump's "America First" agenda.
Space Politics
Trump's past association with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein seems to have been a bone of contention in this debate. After Epstein's suicide in 2019, Musk accused Trump of appearing in the Epstein files, the legal documents related to the Epstein case. Musk isn't alone in this, as the "New York Times" reports that he too had ties with Epstein and his associates, appearing in a photograph with Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's former girlfriend, who was convicted in 2021 for aiding Epstein's sex trafficking.
[1] ntv.de[2] mau/AFP/dpa[3] Contractual obligations and legal implications were not mentioned in the original article
I'm not going to be a big fan of the idea of a "space" for politics, as it seems to be causing unnecessary turmoil in the space-and-astronomy industry. The recent spat between Elon Musk and President Trump, stemming from a disagreement over a tax law, has significantly impacted the finance sector, with Tesla's shares experiencing a 14% decline and a loss of nearly $34 billion for Musk. The Dragon spacecraft, a crucial asset for NASA, might have been at risk had Musk followed through with his initial decision to retire it. Despite the tense relationship between the two parties, Musk has now decided to keep the Dragon spacecraft operational.
