The Voice News Washington
Elon Musk’s threat to halt the Dragon capsule program has sparked concerns about a potential crisis for NASA.
The return of Donald Trump to the White House for a second term as President of the United States had already drawn global attention, especially due to his previously close friendship with billionaire Elon Musk. However, cracks have recently appeared in that relationship. Once considered close allies, the two are now engaged in a public spat on social media.
In the midst of this fallout, Musk has threatened to cancel the Dragon capsule program, which is used to transport astronauts and supplies to the International Space Station (ISS). He issued this threat in a post on social media platform X.
Earlier, Trump had threatened to cancel government contracts with SpaceX and its Starlink satellite internet service. In response, Musk warned, “SpaceX will immediately begin the process of terminating its Dragon capsule program.”
It is still unclear how serious Musk’s threat is. However, the Dragon capsule—developed with government funding—is a crucial component for maintaining the operation of the ISS.
Additionally, NASA relies heavily on SpaceX for various scientific missions and major projects, such as sending astronauts to the Moon later this decade.
What Is the Dragon Capsule?
Currently, SpaceX is the only U.S. company providing transport to the ISS using its Dragon capsule, which can carry up to four astronauts.
Boeing’s Starliner capsule has so far completed only one crewed mission, which took place last year. That test mission faced severe issues, and the two astronauts who became stranded in space were finally brought back to Earth in March this year aboard a SpaceX capsule. Since then, the Starliner program has been on hold.
SpaceX also uses the Dragon capsule for its own private missions. The next mission is scheduled for next week and has been commissioned by Axiom Space, a Houston-based company. Additionally, the cargo version of the Dragon capsule is used to transport food and other supplies.
NASA’s Only Alternative: Russia’s Soyuz Capsule
Currently, Russia’s Soyuz capsule is the only alternative vehicle for transporting crew to the ISS.
Moreover, every SpaceX mission includes one Russian cosmonaut. This exchange arrangement ensures that in case of emergencies, each capsule carries at least one American and one Russian crew member.
In 2020, SpaceX sent astronauts to space for NASA for the first time. This significantly reduced NASA’s reliance on Russia. Before that, the U.S. had to pay tens of millions of dollars per seat on Russian flights. For cargo missions as well, NASA depended on Russian spacecraft and U.S. company Northrop Grumman.
SpaceX is also used for launching NASA’s scientific missions and military equipment.
Last year, SpaceX was assigned the responsibility to deorbit the ISS in case it becomes unusable.
Additionally, NASA has selected SpaceX’s Starship mega rocket to land astronauts on the Moon from lunar orbit. At least the first two landing missions will use Starship. However, last week, the Starship conducted its ninth test flight from Texas, which ended in failure as it lost control and crashed.