Trump’s row with Musk casts shadow over US space plans

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WASHINGTON: SpaceX rockets took US astronauts to the International Space Station. Its star link satellite tower has been blanking the world with a broadband, and the company has embedded in some of the most sensitive Pentagon projects, including detecting hypersonic missiles.

So when President Donald Trump threatened to cancel Elon Musk’s federal agreements on Thursday, space looks pointed out.

Musk, who is the richest man in the world, shot that the capsule relies on NASA crew flights – a few hours later before withdrawing the risk.

For now, experts say that mutual dependence should maintain a completely bursting breakdown, but in this case it has been exposed how much a break can disrupt.

Established in 2002, SpaceX jumped to League contractors to become the world’s dominant launch provider.

Played by Musk’s ambitions to multiply humanity, now it is the only way to send NASA astronauts to ISS-a symbol of post-war cooperation and test bed for deep space missions.

Space monopoly?

The company has completed 10 regular staff rotation in the dizziness lab, and has a contract under a $ 4 dollar deal, worth about $ 5 billion.

It is just a part of a wider portfolio that includes Billion 4 billion from NASA to produce the stars, the next generation migrak. About $ 6 billion from space force for launch services; And 8 1.8 billion has been reported for a classified spy satellite network starsfield.

If the dragon grounds, the United States will once again be forced to rely on Russian Suez rockets for ISS access – as it did after the space shuttle retirement between 2011 and 2020 and before entering the staff’s dragon service.

“Under the current geographical political climate, it will not be much better,” Space analyst Laura Forzak told AFP.

NASA had hoped that Boeing’s star liner would provide waste, but continuous delays – and a failed staff test – last year, made it the basis.

Even the Northrop Gromman’s cargo missions now rely on Falcon 9 of Space X, which is its rocket -fleet work horse.

The situation also shade NASA’s Artemis program.

A lunar land type of starchy is ready for Artemis III and IV, the next American developed the moon’s missions. If the starchy is separated from the edge, the rival Blue Origin can benefit – but the timeline will almost certainly slip, which will help China, which aims to get humans by 2030, the opportunity to arrive there first, the Forcezic warned.

“There are very few launch vehicles like Falcon 9 – it is not possible to walk as easily as President Trump thinks,” he said.

In the meantime, NASA looked desperate to show that it had options.

The agency told AFP on Friday, “NASA is examining the initial capacity of the star liner flight for the International Space Station in the early 2026, which is pending the system certificate and the technical problems of the star liner.”

Nevertheless, the conflict can completely remove Trump in space, for the forks, cautioning, complicating NASA’s long -term projects.

Space X is not fully dependent on the US government. StarLink subscriptions and commercial calculated a certain portion of its income, and the company also blows private missions.

Next, the partner will carry astronauts from India, Poland and Hungary, with Acimum space, which their respective governments have provided.

Private power, public threat

But losing the US government’s contracts will still be a major blow.

“This is a scene for both sides on the Day of Judgment that it is difficult for both sides to imagine how the American space efforts will fill this difference,” Clayton Sweep, deputy director of the Aerospace Security Project at the Strategic and International Studies Center, told AFP at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

“Both sides have every reason to end the differences and return to business.”

Last weekend, symbols of a split came out, when the White House suddenly withdrew the nomination of Billionaire Jayer Ishaq Mann of e-payments-an ally of a nearby Musk who had flown into space twice with Space X-as a NASA administrator.

On a recent podcast, Ishaqman said he believed that he had been dropped because “some people had some axes to grind, and I was a good, visible target.”

The broader event can also resolve the debate on Washington’s commercial partners, especially when a company has such a dominant place.

Sweep noted that while the US government has supported the industry for a long time buying services, military leaders prefer to own the systems they rely on.

“This is just another data point that can strengthen the issue as to why it can be a threat,” he said. “I think the seeds have been put in the minds of many people – so that it doesn’t trust.”