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Musk threatens to decommission SpaceX's Dragon capsule in Trump feud
SpaceX founder Elon Musk has threatened to decommission a key space capsule used to take supplies to the International Space Station as part of his ignited feud with US President Donald Trump.
Musk started the conflict by calling Trump's "Big Bold Beautiful Bill," a budget reconciliation bill, a "digusting abomination" on his social media platform X.
The post ignited a series of back-and-forth blows between Trump and Musk over social media.
Trump then threatened to cancel government contracts given to Musk's SpaceX and Starlink internet services, which Musk then responded to by saying he would decommission the Dragon spacecraft immediately.
Musk later said he wouldn't decommission the craft in response to an account called Alaska (with no apparently relation to the US State) that called the back and forth a "shame" and asked Musk to "step back for a few days," to "cool off."
The Dragon capsule, developed with the help of government contracts, is an important part of keeping the International Space Station (ISS) running.
The US' space agency NASA also relies heavily on SpaceX for other programmes including launching science missions and, later this decade, returning astronauts to the surface of the Moon.
SpaceX is the only US 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.
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.
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 for the first two landing missions.
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 US and Russia 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 US tens of millions of dollars per seat, for years.
NASA has also used Russian spacecraft for cargo, along with US contractor Northrup Grumman.
The EU published a digital strategy on Thursday to diversify and expand digital alliances with "like-minded partners" such as Japan, South Korea, Canada and India, but no mention was made of the US.
This year, digital trade agreements with Singapore and South Korea were signed to facilitate data flows - despite critics warning it could pave the way for threats to personal data.
The bloc also plans to structure its growing diplomatic network through the creation of a Digital Partnership Network, aimed at connecting these relationships in a more strategic and coordinated way.
But while the strategy highlights a wide array of partners, the absence of references to further meeting under the EU-US Trade and Technology Council (TTC) with the United States was notable. This forum of discussion between the two blocs on trade and technology was created in 2020 to de-escalate tensions during US President Donald Trump's first mandate.
Quizzed by Euronews on the future of the TTC, Tech Commissioner Henna Virkkunen replied that trade negotiations were currently the priority - without elaborating.
While the EU's other big tech competitor, China, is also absent from the strategy – Virkkunen said that digital cooperation will be discussed during the July 2025 EU-China summit.
In its immediate neighbourhood, the bloc is prioritising integration with the EU Digital Single Market notably for Ukraine, Moldova and the Western Balkans – to assist integration into the EU. These countries will benefit from support to align with EU rules on areas such as digital identity, secure infrastructure and regulatory frameworks, paving the way for potential mutual recognition of digital services.
In Africa, Asia and Latin America, the strategy builds on the Global Gateway initiative, the EU's strategic response to China's Belt and Road adopted in 2021. Through this framework, the EU is co-financing the deployment of secure submarine cables, AI factories, and digital public infrastructure, while, according to Commissioner Virkkunen, promoting European tech standards and regulatory models abroad.
The Commission said that they will move forward with the implementation of new digital partnerships, including preparations for agreements with countries in the Southern Neighbourhood and sub-Saharan Africa. A dedicated Tech Business Offer, a mix of private and public EU investment, will be rolled out to support digital projects in partner countries.
A first meeting of the new Digital Partnership Network is also planned, involving representatives from the EU and its partner countries. Meanwhile, joint research programmes are set to be launched with Japan, Canada and South Korea, notably in quantum technologies and semiconductors.
