Trump targets SpaceX contracts—Elon Musk fires back. What this clash means for Starship’s next launch and NASA’s deep space future.
Elon Musk Fires Back: Trump’s Threat to SpaceX & What It Means for Starship Launches
📅 Published: August 5, 2025
By VeenaSpace News Team
The Feud That Shocked the Space Industry
In a heated political moment, former President Donald Trump questioned why Elon Musk’s SpaceX should continue receiving large government contracts. This came after Starship Flight 9 ended in failure, giving critics like Trump more room to attack.
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But Elon Musk wasn’t silent. Within hours, he hinted that if political pressure continues, SpaceX might halt Dragon capsule operations — a
serious threat, considering it’s the only U.S. vehicle regularly carrying astronauts to the ISS.
How It Affects Starship’s Future
SpaceX is preparing for its next Starship test flight. Engineers at Starbase are moving fast, working on repairs and upgrades after the last flight lost both stages due to a propellant leak.
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But politics could still get in the way. If government agencies come under pressure to reevaluate funding or oversight, it might delay Starship’s long-term missions — including Mars cargo tests and lunar payload deliveries.
SpaceX Activity Amid the Feud
Despite the noise, SpaceX hasn’t stopped. It successfully launched Crew-11 to the ISS and pushed out multiple Starlink batches. Still, launch frequency dipped slightly when the feud first began.
What NASA and the Pentagon Are Saying
Sources close to NASA say there’s no immediate plan to cancel contracts. SpaceX remains a crucial part of both space exploration and national defense strategy. In fact, Starlink satellites are now seen as strategic infrastructure — making them hard to cut off.
main web site spacex.com
Final Thoughts — Politics, Power, and Rockets
Space isn’t just science anymore. It’s strategy. It’s politics. And with personalities like Elon Musk and Donald Trump at the center, anything can happen.
For now, SpaceX continues its mission. But the next Starship launch won’t just be about tech — it’ll also be about making a statement