Elon Musk has retaliated to President Donald Trump’s threat to pull all SpaceX contracts, with the SpaceX CEO announcing the decommissioning of the company’s Dragon spacecraft servicing NASA astronauts “immediately.”
Musk announced the move on X in response to President Trump’s threat to “terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts.” SpaceX alone has received $20 billion in various government contracts since 2008, per CNBC.
Musk responded in kind, writing on X, “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
Trump and Musk’s social media blow-up began soon after Musk left his leadership position in the Department of Government Efficiency, with Musk spending the days since repeatedly blasting the president’s signature piece of legislation, expressing concern about it adding to the federal deficit.
The SpaceX Dragon capsule is currently the only viable craft capable of servicing the International Space Station, receiving a $5 billion NASA contract in 2014, and until recently, it was slated to continue servicing the station until its retirement in 2030.
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According to SpaceX’s website, “[The Dragon spacecraft] is the only spacecraft currently flying that is capable of returning significant amounts of cargo to Earth, and is the first private spacecraft to take humans to the space station.”
Most recently, a Dragon craft rescued NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams after they spent nine months stranded on the ISS.
After Musk’s announcement, NASA Press Secretary Bethany Stevens said in a post on X that the agency “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.”