The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Department of Defense have stepped up their search for alternatives to SpaceX after a public dispute between President Donald Trump and Elon Musk escalated. According to sources, the focus of discussions was such companies as Rocket Lab, Stoke Space and Blue Origin.
The reason for the review of relations with SpaceX was a high-profile incident that occurred last week. Donald Trump in his social network Truth Social published a series of harsh statements addressed to Elon Musk, threatening to break government contracts with his companies and stop funding. In response, Musk publicly hinted at the possible suspension of the missions of the manned Dragon spacecraft, which provides delivery of astronauts to the International Space Station. Later, the entrepreneur retracted his words, but the situation caused concern in government agencies.
The incident exposed the high degree of dependence of NASA and the Pentagon on SpaceX, which currently performs critical functions: from launching military satellites to providing logistics to the ISS. In this regard, representatives of federal agencies held consultations with potential alternatives in order to assess the readiness of their missile solutions to perform tasks in the interests of the state.
Among the candidates being considered are Rocket Lab, which already has experience with orbital launches, Stoke Space, which is working on reusable rockets, and Blue Origin, owned by Jeff Bezos, which is promoting the New Glenn heavy rocket. However, at the moment, none of these companies has mature manned platforms comparable to Dragon.
An additional factor contributing to the tension was the White House's decision to withdraw Jared Isaacman's candidacy for the post of head of NASA. Isaacman, an entrepreneur and space tourist, is considered a close ally of Musk and has already completed two suborbital flights as part of private SpaceX missions.
Observers note that a further escalation of the conflict between the political establishment and major figures in private space exploration may affect not only the pace of current missions, but also the long-term strategy of the United States in space. In the face of growing competition with China and other powers, US government agencies are seeking to diversify risks and accelerate the development of independent rocket solutions outside of SpaceX's orbit.
