Yesterday, a dramatic and escalating conflict on social media between Elon Musk, considered the richest individual globally, and President Donald Trump, the most powerful, deeply impacted U.S. spaceflight.

Musk and Trump had been close allies since Musk endorsed Trump in July, an endorsement that significantly contributed to Trump’s electoral win and subsequent second term in office. However, the relationship took a sharp turn on May 28 when Musk stepped down from his role in managing the U.S. DOGE Service. The situation escalated on May 31 when the White House withdrew its nomination of Musk’s ally Jared Isaacman to head NASA. Musk responded fiercely, criticizing the excessive spending in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which was making its way through Congress, calling it “a disgusting abomination.”

The situation deteriorated as Musk and Trump exchanged threats and insults. On June 5, Trump hinted on his social media platform, Truth Social, that he might cancel government contracts with Musk’s companies, including SpaceX and Tesla. Within an hour, Musk escalated the conflict by accusing Trump on X, his social media platform, of being implicated in unreleased government documents concerning the illegal activities of the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, although he provided no evidence.

Supporting Science Journalism

If you appreciate this content, please consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. Your subscription helps sustain vital reporting on the ideas and discoveries that shape our world.

Musk continued to intensify the dispute with additional posts suggesting the impeachment of Trump and even stated in a now-deleted comment that SpaceX would start to decommission its Dragon spacecraft immediately in response to Trump’s threats. However, about five hours later, Musk retracted his statement in another post on X, saying, “Ok, we won’t decommission Dragon.”

The Dragon spacecraft is essential for U.S. human spaceflight, serving as the primary mode of transport for NASA astronauts to and from the International Space Station (ISS). It is also a crucial part of a contract between NASA and SpaceX to safely deorbit the ISS in 2031. If Dragon were unavailable, NASA would need to depend on Russian Soyuz spacecraft or Boeing’s problematic Starliner for crew transport, and its plans for deorbiting the ISS would face significant setbacks. Additionally, NASA relies on SpaceX rockets to launch many of its scientific missions, and the company is tasked with transporting astronauts to and from the moon’s surface as part of the Artemis III mission.

The back-and-forth between Trump and Musk also threatens to disrupt other vital SpaceX-related elements of U.S. space strategy, which are crucial for national security. SpaceX’s reusable Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets are integral to the majority of the Department of Defense’s space launches. Moreover, SpaceX’s network of over 7,000 Starlink communications satellites is critical for U.S. military operations, particularly in the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. SpaceX is also slated to create a large network of spy satellites for the DOD and is a top contender for launching space-based interceptors for Trump’s proposed “Golden Dome” missile-defense system.

Among the flood of reactions, a notable extreme response came from Trump’s former adviser Steve Bannon, who in a New York Times interview without evidence, labeled Musk, a naturalized U.S. citizen, an “illegal alien” and argued he should be “immediately deported.”

NASA tried to remain neutral, with a statement from its press secretary, Bethany Stevens, asserting, “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.”

The stock market reacted strongly to these developments. Although SpaceX is privately held, Tesla, Musk’s electric car company, is public and saw its shares plummet by 14 percent at the close of trading on June 5, erasing $152 billion in market value.

A planned reconciliatory phone call between Musk and Trump was reportedly canceled today, with Trump expressing intentions to sell his recently purchased Tesla. However, there are indications that the rift might be mending: Musk has not been deported, SpaceX continues to operate, Tesla’s stock is recovering, and NASA astronauts are not currently stranded.

Nevertheless, this episode and the potential for further public disputes between Trump and Musk underscore a critical vulnerability due to the nation’s heavy reliance on SpaceX for space access. Entrusting vast portions of both civilian and military space initiatives to a single private company led by a controversial figure offers immense benefits but also significant risks.