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<p data-start="69" data-end="476"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Elon Musk&rsquo;s brief threat to halt NASA&rsquo;s access to SpaceX&rsquo;s Dragon spacecraft sparked alarm across the space and defense sectors, according to The Washington Post. The move, if carried out, would have stripped NASA of its only American vehicle capable of ferrying astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS), drastically altering U.S. access to the $100 billion orbiting outpost.</span></p>
<p data-start="478" data-end="855"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The threat was made in a post on X during a heated exchange between Musk and former President Donald Trump, who had earlier threatened to cancel all federal contracts with Musk&rsquo;s companies. Given SpaceX&rsquo;s key role in U.S. space infrastructure, severing those ties would disrupt operations not just for NASA but also for the Pentagon and intelligence agencies, the report noted.</span></p>
<p data-start="857" data-end="1018"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">SpaceX is a vital partner in national security missions, launching high-value satellites for missile detection, military communications, and precision targeting.</span></p>
<p data-start="1020" data-end="1188"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Hours after the initial statement, Musk backed down, responding to a user on X with, "Ok, we won't decommission Dragon," indicating a walk-back of his earlier comments.</span></p>
<p data-start="1190" data-end="1437"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">NASA Press Secretary Bethany Stevens did not specify how the agency would continue ISS missions without SpaceX but affirmed that NASA remains committed to fulfilling the President&rsquo;s space vision and continuing collaboration with industry partners.</span></p>
<p data-start="1439" data-end="1641" data-is-last-node="" data-is-only-node=""><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The controversy escalated after Musk accused Trump of being linked to the Epstein files and called for his impeachment, prompting his initial announcement to begin decommissioning the Dragon spacecraft.<br><br>Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by the Benefit News editorial team and is published directly from the IANS news feed.<br></span></p>
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Musk's brief threat to end Dragon program alarms NASA, Pentagon over space access and security

Musk-Trump Rift Risks NASA, Pentagon Missions

Musk's brief threat to end Dragon program alarms NASA, Pentagon over space access and security

June 7, 2025 | 09:37 IST