Musk Walks Back Threat to Decommission SpaceX Dragon Spacecraft
(Bloomberg) -- Elon Musk seemingly backed down from a threat to decommission SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft that ferries cargo and people to the International Space Station for the US, made during an escalation of a spat between the billionaire and President Donald Trump.
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SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft is the company's primary vehicle for sending astronauts and cargo to orbit. The company has billions of dollars in contracts with NASA to send the agency's astronauts on periodic trips to and from the ISS, which helps the space agency to maintain an uninterrupted presence at the space station until its retirement by the end of 2030.
Musk initially pledged to decommission the spacecraft after Trump's threat to pull Musk's governmental contracts, which was prompted by Musk's near-incessant bashing of the president's tax bill on X, his social media service.
However, just hours later, he responded to a post suggesting he take a step back and cool off for a couple of days, replying 'Good advice. OK, we won't decommission Dragon.'
It's unclear what exactly Musk initially meant by 'decommissioning' Dragon. SpaceX also uses its Dragon spacecraft for commercial missions, separate from the ones it performs for NASA. The company has flown six private astronaut missions on Dragon, either to fly freely in orbit or visit the International Space Station.
SpaceX is slated to launch another private astronaut mission on Dragon as soon as June 10, in partnership with Axiom Space, sending four civilians to the ISS.
NASA will 'continue to execute upon the President's vision' and work with its industry partners, agency spokesperson Bethany Stevens said in a post on X.
An abrupt end to SpaceX's Dragon would leave NASA in a significant bind regarding its space station program. The vehicle is the only operational US option for sending astronauts to the space station, though the agency does also rely on Russia's Soyuz spacecraft to launch NASA astronauts periodically. It's also one of the main options for keeping the space station stocked with food and supplies.
NASA potentially has another US option for sending crew to the space station in Boeing's Starliner. However, the vehicle is still not certified for carrying astronauts, after suffering a botched test flight in 2024 that left two astronauts on the ISS for months longer than planned.
Because of engine issues with Starliner, NASA tasked SpaceX with bringing home the astronauts on a Dragon craft.
SpaceX is also under contract with NASA for creating a Dragon-like vehicle that will be responsible for guiding the ISS out of orbit. It's unclear where those plans currently stand.
--With assistance from Peter Vercoe.
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