How the Musk-Trump breakup could damage the U.S. space program

Elon Musk and President Donald Trump's feud has put $22 billion of SpaceX's government contracts at risk, which could dramatically change multiple US space programs. The disagreement started when Musk criticized Trump's tax-cut and spending legislation, and Trump lashed out at Musk. Musk threatened to "decommission" SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft used by NASA, but later reversed his decision. The Dragon capsule is the only US vessel capable of carrying astronauts to and from the International Space Station, making SpaceX a critical element. If Trump cancels SpaceX contracts, it could slow US space progress and disrupt the ISS program. Musk's company has won $15 billion of contracts from NASA and billions more from the Pentagon to launch national security satellites. Canceling these contracts would likely not be legal, according to former NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver. However, Musk's threat to decommission spacecraft puts astronauts' lives at risk, which is untenable. The US space industry has been whipsawed by looming layoffs and proposed budget cuts, and NASA remains without a confirmed administrator. Musk's quest to send humans to Mars has been a critical element of Trump's space agenda, but their feud has put this in jeopardy.