Donald Trump’s recent attacks on Elon Musk and SpaceX threaten to severely setback U.S. space exploration. The US President has publicly threatened to terminate all NASA contracts with SpaceX, a move that would jeopardize rocket launches, satellite missions, and the economic future of American space travel.

SpaceX has dramatically reduced space mission costs in recent years. While the Falcon 9 rocket transports payloads at approximately $2,700 per kilogram, the Space Shuttle cost around $18,500 per kilogram. The Falcon Heavy further lowers costs to about $1,400 per kilogram. NASA has greatly benefited from these savings. Ending this partnership would regress the U.S. to a technological state last seen after the Space Shuttle program ended in 2011, when the U.S. relied on Russian rockets for years.

Current launch statistics highlight SpaceX’s dominance. In 2024, of 261 global rocket launches, SpaceX conducted 134, far surpassing China’s 68 and Russia’s fewer launches. Of the 12,952 active satellites worldwide, 8,530 are American, with 7,855 from SpaceX’s Starlink project. Without Starlink, the U.S. would rank fourth globally in satellite count.

The future of space exploration hinges on SpaceX’s Starship, a fully reusable launch system poised to further slash costs and enable lunar and Martian missions. Terminating NASA contracts would severely undermine this program, risking the U.S.’s global leadership in space within years.

Trump mischaracterizes NASA’s contracts with SpaceX as subsidies. In reality, SpaceX delivers government contracts at significantly lower costs than previous providers. Severing this collaboration would primarily harm the U.S., accelerating China’s technological ascent in space.