The Voice News: The Pentagon and NASA are reportedly reconsidering their dependence on Elon Musk’s SpaceX after a dramatic clash between Musk and President Donald Trump shook the foundations of U.S. space strategy.
Following Trump’s threat to cancel government contracts, Musk retaliated by threatening to pull SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft—vital to the International Space Station (ISS). Though Musk later backtracked, the episode deeply unsettled officials.
“It turned really terrifying,” a NASA source told The Washington Post. What began as political theater quickly escalated into a national security concern.
SpaceX currently dominates U.S. space operations—transporting astronauts, launching military satellites, and powering global communication through Starlink. But Musk’s unpredictable behavior, including past incidents like smoking marijuana on a podcast in 2018, has long made federal agencies uneasy.
In response to the latest tension, NASA and the Pentagon have quietly approached SpaceX’s rivals—including Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, RocketLab, Sierra Space, and Stoke Space—about accelerating their programs.
“NASA told us they want diversity. They don’t want to rely on just one provider,” said Fatih Ozmen, CEO of Sierra Space.
The White House also recently withdrew the nomination of Jared Isaacman—who has flown on SpaceX missions—as NASA Administrator, further straining relations.
Meanwhile, Blue Origin, despite lagging SpaceX in performance, is gaining ground with its New Glenn rocket, which launched for the first time earlier this year. Bezos, once at odds with Trump, now appears to be a viable replacement in the space race.
The push to diversify providers aligns with the Pentagon’s new “lanes” strategy to avoid over-reliance on any single contractor. A source familiar with the Department of Defense strategy said, “They want someone who’s predictable.”
Even Congress is demanding updates on Boeing’s repeatedly delayed Starliner capsule. After a botched mission left astronauts stranded at the ISS last year, NASA may require another uncrewed flight before approving future crewed missions.
The fallout has reinvigorated debate over whether one CEO—especially a controversial figure like Musk—should hold so much sway over national space and defense programs.
“Elon Musk essentially threatened to cut NASA off from its own space lab,” said defense analyst Todd Harrison, drawing parallels to Musk’s earlier refusal to activate Starlink during a Ukrainian military operation.
Musk’s public persona and political involvement are beginning to cost him. Former astronaut Garrett Reisman summed up concerns within NASA: “When your hopes and dreams are tied up in this, you think, ‘Oh my goodness, am I going to fly in space?’”
Despite the growing scrutiny, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 remains the most reliable and frequently launched rocket. But the Trump administration appears willing to embrace competition—even if that means elevating Bezos.
With companies like Sierra Space and RocketLab jockeying for position, the once-unshakable grip of Elon Musk on America’s space ambitions may be starting to slip.