Fight of the Titanes: Musk confronted Trump, Bezos benefits!

Fight of the Titanes: Musk confronted Trump, Bezos benefits!

in a rapid development of political and economic events in the United States, Donald Trump and Elon Musk have again overwhelmed themselves. Musk, who is considered the richest man in the world, described Trump's planned tax law as "disgusting hideousness" and then announced that he would withdraw his political support for Trump after he had previously donated about $ 300 million to the 2024 presidential campaign. This support had made a significant contribution to the fact that the Republicans kept a majority in the House of Representatives and regained control of the Senate. Trump then explained to consider the relationship with Musk to be over, which further fueled the conflict.

The argument between the two personalities could have far -reaching consequences for Musk's space company SpaceX. Experts warn that Trump even threatens to terminate the government contracts of SpaceX, which are of central importance for national security and NASA. If this was done, the US space industry would possibly become again dependent on Russia in order to gain access to the International Space Station (ISS) and for space starts. Clayton Swope, deputy director of the Center for Strategic and International Studies Aerospace Security Project, indicates the critical role of SpaceX and over $ 13 billion that the company has received from NASA since 2015.

consequences for space travel

SpaceX has established itself as a dominant provider in the field of rocket starts in the past ten years. The reusable Falcon 9 rockets of the company have significantly reduced the cost of rocket start, while the competition has difficulty achieving similar efficiency. This has caused SpaceX to bring over 90 percent of US satellites to space and is increasingly being seen as an important supplier for the Pentagon. In April SpaceX received a surcharge of $ 5.9 billion for 28 out of a total of 54 orders that will be awarded as part of the "National Security Space Launch" program by 2029

But the tensions between Trump and Musk could endanger this predominant position. Trump expressed truth social that the termination of Musk's government grants and contracts was a way to save billions. The conflicts between the two leaders arise that this could lead to ambiguities in the future.

geopolitical considerations

A possible setback for the US room ride could also influence the geopolitical situation. If SpaceX is pushed out of the race for government orders, the United States could force this to rely on Russian spaceships again. Benjamin L. Schmitt from the University of Pennsylvania notes that SpaceX’s manned missions in 2020 represented a decisive progress in the independence of the US space ride by the Russian Soyuz spaceships. At a time when Russia works at its own space station, the Russian Orbital Service Station (ROSS), a return to Russian promotion options would endanger the national security of the United States.