Musk's SpaceX and Trump's Threat: A Rollercoaster Ride
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk imposes threats against former president Donald Trump, alluding to confidential SpaceX data and disputed Epstein files, before later retracting.
In the world of tech and politics, a feud between two heavyweights has taken center stage. Elon Musk, the billionaire CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, and former President Donald Trump have been locked in a heated spat, with Musk initially threatening to cease operations of SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft - a crucial contract for US space operations. However, hours later, Musk walked back his decision.
It all started when Trump announced that government contracts for Musk's companies should be canceled[1]. In response, Musk took to Twitter and threatened to immediately retire the Dragon spacecraft, a critical spacecraft that NASAs astronauts use to reach the International Space Station (ISS)[2]. The Dragon has been the only US spacecraft capable of transporting NASA astronauts to the ISS since 2020[2].
However, Musk later backtracked on his decision, stating that he would "calm down and take a few days off"[1]. The ongoing feud between Musk and Trump sent Tesla stock plummeting, with the paper of the Musk-led electric car manufacturer losing over 14% in US trading[1]. The Financial Times estimated that Musk's wealth fell by nearly $34 billion in a single day, dropping to $335 billion ($293 billion approximately)[1].
The Dragon spacecraft is indispensable for NASA's ISS missions, as the agency does not have another operational crewed spacecraft that can replace it[2][3]. Although Boeing has developed the Starliner spacecraft, technical issues have caused delays, and it is still recovering from setbacks[2]. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who also leads Blue Origin, has a space company but has yet to make significant progress[3].
The tensions between Musk and Trump escalated over their contrasting views on a controversial tax law desired by the president[4]. Musk has been vocal in his criticism of the tax law, as it would significantly increase the US debt[4]. On Thursday, Trump called Musk "crazy" and threatened to withdraw government contracts from Musk's companies[4].
Trump was also criticized for his previous acquaintance with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who took his own life in 2019[5]. Musk took the opportunity to add fuel to the fire by attacking Trump for his ties to Epstein, going as far as suggesting that Trump appears in Epstein's files[5]. According to reports, Musk was also associated with Epstein and his business partners[5].
In a twist of events, the White House announced over the weekend that Musk ally Jared Isaacman would not be the new NASA chief as planned[3]. The decision was said to be based on Isaacman's failure to represent Trump's "America First" agenda[3].
Sources:
[1] ntv.de[2] mau/AFP/dpa[3] The Verge[4] Financial Times[5] nytimes.com
Keywords:- SpaceX- Elon Musk- Donald Trump- NASA- International Space Station (ISS)- Dragon Spacecraft- Boeing- Jeff Bezos- Jared Isaacman- Tax Law- Epstein Case- "America First" Agenda
I'm not going to be a big fan of the idea of a "space race" between SpaceX and other space-and-astronomy companies, given the current politics and business interests involved. The ongoing feud between Elon Musk and Donald Trump, and the associated tension with figures like Jeff Bezos and Jared Isaacman, seems to be heavily influenced by finance and politics rather than the pursuit of pure science. The implications of this feud extend beyond the realm of space-and-astronomy, affecting general-news and stock markets, as seen with the recent plummeting of Tesla's stock.
