Trump Vs Musk: What If SpaceX Decommissions Dragon Spacecraft?
Elon Musk threatens to retire SpaceX Dragon amid Trump spat, risking NASA missions and recently returning Sunita Williams' safe Earth landing.
In a clash that could have profound consequences for American spaceflight, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has announced that the company will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft — the same vehicle that just brought astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore back to Earth from the International Space Station (ISS). The announcement follows a fiery political fallout between Musk and President Donald Trump.
Dragon has been the backbone of NASA’s human spaceflight program since 2020, when SpaceX became the first private company to send astronauts into orbit. Just this week, a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule undocked from the ISS carrying Williams and her crewmates, concluding NASA’s Crew-9 mission.
"They undocked from the ISS aboard SpaceX’s ‘Dragon’ capsule at 1:05 am ET (10.35 am IST), beginning their 17-hour journey back to Earth," with splashdown off Florida’s coast expected Tuesday evening.
From Praise to Political Fallout
Musk, who recently ended his stint leading the government’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), had been on good terms with Trump until he publicly slammed the President’s federal spending package.
"This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination."
Trump fired back on Truth Social:
"Elon was 'wearing thin,' and I asked him to leave. I took away his EV Mandate... and he just went CRAZY!"
Shortly after, Musk made his move.
"In light of the President’s statement about cancellation of my government contracts, @SpaceX will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately."
In light of the President’s statement about cancellation of my government contracts, @SpaceX will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately pic.twitter.com/NG9sijjkgW
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 5, 2025
Dragon: A Critical Link to Space
If Musk follows through, the implications are significant.
“Cancelation of SpaceX's government contracts would eliminate the country's ability to launch astronauts to space from American soil,” especially since Boeing’s troubled Starliner is still not ready for regular missions.
Dragon has played a crucial role in sustaining the ISS. "It is the only spacecraft currently capable of returning substantial amounts of cargo to Earth and was the first private spacecraft to transport humans to the space station."
It’s designed with redundancy and reliability: "It can carry up to seven passengers," uses 16 Draco thrusters for orbital control, and relies on a parachute system with "two drogue parachutes to stabilise the spacecraft during reentry and four main parachutes that help slow it down further before landing."
Dragon's Flawless Return with Sunita Williams
The safe return of Sunita Williams and her crewmates once again underscored the Dragon spacecraft’s technical reliability and mission-readiness. “The capsule re-entered Earth’s atmosphere, descended under parachutes, and landed in the ocean before the astronauts were flown to Houston.”
This routine, smooth recovery highlights why Dragon has become a trusted asset not only for NASA but for the entire human spaceflight program. Few other spacecraft in operation today offer such a consistent combination of capacity, performance, and safety.
Space Program At Stake?
It’s hard to overstate what’s at stake. The potential cancellation of SpaceX’s Dragon program—triggered by Musk’s reaction to President Trump’s threat to pull government contracts—could leave the United States with no reliable, operational means to transport astronauts to and from space. The Dragon spacecraft has been the backbone of NASA’s crewed and cargo missions for nearly half a decade, operating as the only American-made vehicle capable of returning humans and high-value scientific payloads from orbit.
The move to "decommission Dragon" comes at a particularly critical time. The International Space Station is experiencing one of its busiest operational phases, with overlapping crew rotations, private missions, and science cargo exchanges all relying on Dragon’s schedule and reliability. Any sudden disruption would create an immediate logistical vacuum—one that even NASA would struggle to patch.
A Crew Dragon is currently docked to the ISS for the Crew-10 mission, while the Crew-11 launch, planned for July, is now uncertain. NASA’s Artemis moon program also relies on SpaceX’s Starship — chosen to land astronauts on the lunar surface for Artemis 3 in 2027.
Private space missions are also in limbo. Axiom Space’s fourth private mission to the ISS is prepped for launch aboard a Dragon capsule. Jared Isaacman’s Polaris Program, which includes orbital and deep space missions, also depends on SpaceX spacecraft.
Few Alternatives, Many Problems
Boeing’s Starliner was once envisioned as a redundant option in NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, but persistent technical issues have prevented it from entering operational service. While Starliner recently carried astronauts to the ISS in a long-delayed test flight, the vehicle still requires months of validation before it can be considered a reliable backup. For now, Dragon is the only spacecraft certified to carry astronauts under NASA’s current programs.
If SpaceX exits, there would be no American vehicle ready to replace it—and the country could once again become dependent on foreign partners like Russia for human spaceflight access, a position it had worked hard to move past since the retirement of the Space Shuttle in 2011.
Dragon spacecraft has already proven its worth in the recent return mission of Sunita Williams and other crewmates. Not only the spacecraft brought them back safely, the maneuver was very precise with its multi-stahe parachute system and 16 Draco thrusters. Currently, it is the only capable vehicle with can exceute these kinds of missions
NASA's Response and the Road Ahead
NASA attempted to calm fears in a statement: "NASA will continue to execute upon the President’s vision for the future of space. We will continue to work with our industry partners to ensure the President’s objectives in space are met."
But the stakes are high. With SpaceX entangled in every major U.S. mission — from ISS logistics to the return to the Moon — grounding Dragon could mean grounding NASA’s ambitions. What began as a political feud may end up clipping the wings of American spaceflight.
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