[Source / Observer Network, Ruan Jiaqi]

Trump and Musk "fall out," affecting NASA and the Pentagon.

According to a report by The Washington Post on June 6, from space programs, space station operations, to battlefield communications and intelligence gathering, multiple U.S. government agencies have become deeply reliant on Elon Musk's SpaceX. This has led to the falling out between Musk and Trump, potentially posing a serious threat to cooperative projects between NASA and the Pentagon. According to Bloomberg, since 2000, SpaceX has received over $22 billion in non-classified contracts from the Department of Defense and NASA.

The report states that after Trump personally confirmed the deterioration of his relationship with Musk on the 5th, he threatened to terminate all government contracts related to Musk's enterprises. Angered, Musk quickly responded with a post, claiming that "SpaceX will immediately begin retiring its Dragon spacecraft."

Despite making a conciliatory gesture a few hours later, when he replied to a post urging him to "stay calm" by stating that "Dragon spacecraft will not be retired," his earlier threat still sent chills down NASA's spine: SpaceX has now become NASA's core supplier, with accumulated contract orders exceeding $15 billion.

The report notes that discontinuing the Dragon spacecraft would severely damage NASA, leaving it without its only American vehicle capable of transporting astronauts and supplies to the International Space Station. It remains unclear whether SpaceX's contract with NASA allows Musk to unilaterally discontinue the Dragon spacecraft. There is also doubt about whether Trump has the legal authority to directly terminate government contracts with Musk.

NASA spokesperson Bethany Stevens made a vague response in a statement, saying, "NASA will continue to implement the president's vision for the space program. We will continue to collaborate with industry partners to ensure the president's goals in the space sector are achieved."

The statement did not mention how NASA plans to continue sending astronauts to the International Space Station without SpaceX.

November 20, 2024, Trump personally visited the "Starship" launch site in Texas. Video screenshot from U.S. media.

As reported by U.S. media, in 2014, NASA simultaneously selected Boeing and SpaceX to develop spacecraft responsible for transporting astronauts and supplies to the International Space Station.

Musk's SpaceX completed flight certification tests in 2020, executed nearly ten operational missions, and secured more contracts. In contrast, Boeing's project, which has exceeded its budget by approximately $1.6 billion, remains far from certification.

"Everyone thought I wouldn't succeed, and I didn't prove them wrong." Last June, Boeing's new crewed spacecraft, the "Starliner," encountered technical issues during its first trial flight, repeatedly delaying its return, resulting in two NASA astronauts being stranded on the International Space Station for nine months. Ultimately, NASA had to activate a backup plan, allowing the crew to return via a Dragon spacecraft.

The Washington Post reports that since then, both NASA and Boeing have rarely disclosed progress on fixing the faults or any further test flights for the "Starliner."

In the meantime, NASA has increased its reliance on SpaceX. It is reported that NASA is investing $4 billion in developing SpaceX's next-generation heavy-lift rocket, "Starship," intended for the manned lunar mission under the "Artemis" program.

The U.S. Space Force is also interested in "Starship," recently awarding SpaceX a government contract worth nearly $6 billion, surpassing United Launch Alliance (ULA, $5.4 billion) and Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin ($2.4 billion). The latter lacks significant presence in rocket launch technology compared to SpaceX.

The report also mentions that Trump's rift with Musk could affect U.S. national space policy. A space official stated that the White House might accept significant adjustments to NASA's budget as a result.

It was reported that the initial budget proposal from the White House aimed to cancel NASA's costly and delayed Space Launch System (SLS) project and the "Orion" spacecraft. This would have greatly benefited SpaceX and other commercial aerospace companies providing services to NASA.

However, due to the conflict between Trump and Musk, the White House is likely to approve an amended proposal. The bill version released by the Senate Commerce Committee on Thursday night restores funding for these two projects, including $4.1 billion for SLS, primarily contracted to Boeing.

Reuters cited analysts as saying that if Trump prioritizes political retaliation by canceling contracts between SpaceX and NASA or the Pentagon, it may delay the development of America's space program.

Todd Harrison, a senior researcher at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), which is closely associated with conservative groups, stated that cutting ties with SpaceX would severely impact U.S. military space capabilities.

He pointed out that if the government chooses to reduce dependence on space systems, this could affect Trump's promoted "Golden Dome" space-based missile defense system. "This dispute could ultimately influence the architecture selection of the 'Golden Dome' system."

Analysts noted that even before Musk's involvement in Republican politics last year, SpaceX had already established its dominance in the industry, securing strong market shares in rocket launches and satellite communications, which somewhat protects SpaceX from the impacts of the "Trump-Musk split."

Clayton Swope, a senior researcher at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), told Bloomberg, "Terminating contracts with SpaceX would trigger significant ripple effects across many critical functions in the U.S. government that rely on space, with the Pentagon and NASA being the most crucial. Currently, there is no other company that can replace SpaceX's position."

This article is an exclusive contribution from the Observer Network and cannot be reprinted without permission.

Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7512703036252045865/

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