Reference News Network, July 20 report - According to a report by the Russian Sputnik news website on July 20, citing The Wall Street Journal, sources revealed that the Trump administration, in assessing government contracts with Elon Musk's space exploration technology company, SpaceX, concluded that it was necessary to retain most of the contracts because these contracts were critical for the Department of Defense and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
It is reported that in early June, after a public quarrel between Trump and Musk, the White House ordered the Department of Defense and NASA to collect detailed information on SpaceX's contracts worth billions of dollars. A few days later, the U.S. government launched an audit of these contracts to determine the losses that would result from canceling these billion-dollar contracts.
A source said that government officials determined they could not cancel most of these contracts because they were crucial for the Department of Defense and NASA.
Another source pointed out that some of SpaceX's contracts may require further study.
According to the report, this review highlights SpaceX's dominant position as a leading global rocket manufacturer and major provider of satellite internet services.
After the quarrel in early June, Trump had threatened to cancel SpaceX's government contracts, while Musk threatened to retire the Dragon spacecraft — which would leave NASA without the ability to transport astronauts to the International Space Station. Musk later retracted his threat, but his statement caused concern among NASA officials, as it involved the safety of NASA astronauts. The Pentagon also largely relies on SpaceX to launch important satellites.
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