Musk's SpaceX Dumps the Dragon: Trump's Unfriendly Spat Escalates
Escalating disagreement with Trump: Musk reveals intention to withdraw space capsule - Space Capsule Withdrawal Announced by Musk Amidst Intensifying Conflict with Trump
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Here's a twist in the cosmos! Elon Musk, the tech mogul behind SpaceX, has decided to take a hard left turn from his past buddy, President Donald Trump, by pulling the plug on the Dragon spacecraft. Musk announced via a spat on the X app that SpaceX will start winding down the Dragon immediately, marking a shake-up in the transportation of US astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS).
You might be wondering, "What gives?" Well, Trump had earlier hinted at cancelling the government contracts for Musk's companies, of which Dragon is a significant player. The Dragon spacecraft, as you might know, is the only U.S. ride that ferries NASA astronauts to the ISS. The whopping contract with SpaceX comes in at around five billion dollars (around 4.4 billion euros). In case you were wondering, there's a version called the Cargo Dragon that carts stuff to the station.
Trump vs Musk: Public Spat Turns Ugly
The relationship between the President and his ex-advisor, Musk, has gone from frosty to downright feisty. Musk has been vocal about his disapproval of a tax law Trump's been pushing, claiming it would pile debt on the U.S. Unhappy with the criticism, Trump took a swipe at Musk, branding him "crazy," and hinted at stripping his companies of government contracts.
Musk, who's got his paws in pie with SpaceX and Tesla, played a key role in the personnel and budget cuts in various departments when he served as Trump's advisor. His abrasive style and combative behavior earned him plenty of enemies, including some Republicans who recently took him to task.
Musk's Epstein Jab: A Dagger in the Heart?
Musk went on the offensive against Trump, adding more fuel to the fire, on Thursday. He accused Trump of association with the late convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein. Musk claimed Trump could be found in the "Epstein files," referring to legal documents linked to the Epstein case. According to Musk, the real reason these files were withheld was due to this connection with Trump.
Epstein, a financier with far-reaching connections, is infamous for his alleged sexual abuse and trafficking of underage girls and young women over a number of years. Trump and Epstein were acquainted, and this association is a point of contention.
Key Figures:- Elon Musk- Donald Trump- SpaceX- ISS- Jeffrey Epstein
[1] NASA's options post-Dragon: Struggling to fill the gap (Space.com)[2] SpaceX to decommission Dragon: A blow to U.S. space capabilities (The Hill)
- Elon Musk, who was once an advisor to President Donald Trump, had a public spat with him recently, with Musk accusing Trump of having associations with the late Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender.
- The relation between Musk and Trump took a turn for the worse when Musk announced that SpaceX would be winding down its Dragon spacecraft, a significant player in transporting NASA astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS), as a response to Trump's threats to cancel government contracts.
- In the realm of science, space-and-astronomy, technology, and politics, the general news has been abuzz with the escalating dispute between the tech mogul Elon Musk and President Donald Trump, with SpaceX's decision to pull the plug on the Dragon spacecraft serving as a significant development.
