Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX, revealed on Thursday that his company will begin dismantling its Dragon spaceship, following threats from US President Donald Trump to terminate SpaceX’s government contracts, according to AFP.
“In light of the president’s statement about the cancellation of my government contracts, @SpaceX will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately,” Musk said on the social media site X.
The statement came after a stark and public breakdown in ties between Musk and Trump, effectively ending a nearly year-long political alliance.
The feud has played out in a series of social media conversations, with both parties throwing insults.
SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule, launched in 2020, is currently the only US spacecraft certified to transport humans to and from the International Space Station.
The spacecraft, which is under contract with NASA for more than $4.9 billion, has been a cornerstone of America’s crewed spaceflight capabilities since the Space Shuttle program ended in 2011.
A different version, Cargo Dragon, is used for resupply trips to the International Space Station.
In response to Musk’s announcement, NASA spokeswoman Bethany Stevens reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to the current administration’s space strategy.
NASA is also working to certify Boeing’s Starliner spaceship for human spaceflight. However, the programme has been repeatedly delayed.
Its most recent test flight last year failed due to propulsion concerns that delayed its voyage to the International Space Station (ISS).
The spacecraft returned to Earth without finishing the mission, and the two people on board were eventually rescued by a SpaceX Crew Dragon.
The certification of Crew Dragon in 2020 signified the end of the United States’ reliance on Russian Soyuz rockets, which began with the retirement of the Space Shuttle.
Despite current events, the United States and Russia continue to share seats on each other’s spacecraft under a long-standing arrangement.
In conjunction with NASA missions, Crew Dragon has undertaken private flights and tourist trips. Its most recent mission, Fram2, orbited the Earth’s poles.
The next scheduled launch, the Axiom-4 mission, is scheduled for Tuesday and will transport astronauts from India, Poland, and Hungary to the ISS aboard a Crew Dragon capsule.
