SpaceX CEO Elon Musk threatens Donald Trump with potentially damaging files linked to Jeffrey Epstein, only to retract his comments later on.
Headline: SpaceX-Dragon Saga: Musk Threatens to Halt Operations After Trump Threatens to Pull Funding, Ultimately Backtracks
In the middle of a heated feud with US President Donald Trump, tech magnate Elon Musk has momentarily withdrawn his announced intention to halt operations of his Dragon spacecraft. Initially, Musk posted on Twitter that SpaceX would immediately start winding down the Dragon spacecraft's service, a move that could potentially disrupt US space travel as the Dragon is the only US spacecraft capable of transporting NASA astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS).
However, hours later, Musk backtracked on his announcement, responding to a well-wisher asking him and Trump to "take a few days off," by stating, "Good advice. Ok, we won't retire Dragon."
The flames of enmity between Musk and Trump ignited the stock market, causing a substantial drop in the value of Tesla Inc., the electric car manufacturer led by Musk. Bloomberg estimated that Musk's fortune plummeted by nearly $34 billion in a single day, bringing it down to $335 billion (approximately $293 billion).
The Dragon spacecraft's indispensable role in US space exploration cannot be overstated. Not only does it transport NASA astronauts to the ISS, but it is also responsible for delivering crucial materials to the space station since 2020. Although Boeing's Starliner spacecraft has been developed for human travel, technical issues during its first manned flight forced the astronauts to remain on the ISS until they were safely returned via a SpaceX capsule.
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos also ventures into space with his company, Blue Origin, but its performance has been limited to brief interludes thus far, filling the gap left by the end of the Space Shuttle program and the subsequent reliance on Russian spacecraft. Musk's apparent reversal could also be seen as a reply to another announcement by Trump, as plans for Jared Isaacman, a former ally of Musk, to serve as the new NASA chief were scrapped by the White House due to his lack of alignment with Trump's "America First" agenda.
Sources: ntv.de, mau/AFP/dpa
- SpaceX
- Elon Musk
- NASA
- Donald Trump
- ISS
- Blue Origin
- Tesla Inc.
I'm not going to be a big fan of the idea of a "space race" re-emerging in the context of US space exploration, given the potential political implications. The science, space-and-astronomy, and general-news community are closely watching the developing dynamics between Elon Musk, Donald Trump, and other private space companies like Blue Origin, as their actions could significantly impact NASA's plans and the future of US space travel.
