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Musk Says He'll Decommission SpaceX Dragon After Trump's Contract Threat, Then Takes A U-Turn
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SpaceX's Crew Dragon is currently the only US spacecraft certified to carry crew to the ISS under a contract worth more than $4.9 billion.
Elon Musk announced on Thursday that SpaceX will no longer move forward with plans to decommission its Dragon spacecraft, reversing a statement made just hours earlier amid his intensifying feud with US President Donald Trump.
SpaceX chief Elon Musk had initially said on Thursday that he would begin 'decommissioning" the company's Dragon spacecraft — essential for transporting NASA astronauts to and from the International Space Station — following President Donald Trump's threat to terminate federal contracts with his companies. However, Musk later reversed course, confirming that the spacecraft will remain in operation.
'In light of the President's statement about cancellation of my government contracts, @SpaceX will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately," Musk wrote on X.
The remarks followed the dramatic collapse of a nearly year-long political alliance between Trump and Musk, marked by a series of public insults exchanged on social media.
The row over SpaceX began when Trump claimed that budget cuts to Elon Musk's company would have saved taxpayers billions.
In a post on Truth Social, Donald Trump wrote: 'The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon's Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. I was always surprised that Biden didn't do it!"
SpaceX's Crew Dragon — a gumdrop-shaped capsule launched atop a Falcon 9 rocket and recovered via ocean splashdown — remains the only U.S. spacecraft currently certified to transport astronauts to the International Space Station, under a contract valued at over Rs 4.9 billion.
A variant of the spacecraft, known as Cargo Dragon, is used to transport supplies to the International Space Station, as its name implies.
In response to Musk's announcement, NASA spokesperson Bethany Stevens stated on X that the agency would 'continue to execute upon the President's vision for the future of space."
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'We will continue to work with our industry partners to ensure the President's objectives in space are met," she added.
NASA has also been working to certify Boeing's Starliner for crewed missions, but the program has encountered significant delays.
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First Published:
June 06, 2025, 07:50 IST
News world Musk Says He'll Decommission SpaceX Dragon After Trump's Contract Threat, Then Takes A U-Turn
