Overview

• President Trump threatened to terminate billions of dollars in SpaceX government contracts and subsidies to curb federal spending.
• Elon Musk announced he would commence immediate decommissioning of the Dragon spacecraft in retaliation, then withdrew that plan hours later.
• SpaceX has amassed over $20 billion in NASA and Department of Defense contracts since 2008 and is the sole provider of U.S. crew transport to the International Space Station.
• Defense analysts caution that severing SpaceX ties would disrupt military satellite launches and undermine key national security capabilities.
• NASA press secretary Bethany Stevens affirmed the agency will continue working with its commercial partners to meet the President’s space exploration goals.