COINOTAG News reports that in response to recent tensions between Elon Musk and former President Trump, key officials from NASA and the Pentagon have urged rival aerospace firms to expedite their development of alternative launch vehicles. This strategic move aims to diversify the United States’ space launch capabilities and reduce dependency on SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft. Government representatives have engaged with prominent commercial space companies, including Rocket Lab, Stoke Space, and Blue Origin, to assess the readiness and deployment timelines of their rockets for critical government missions.
Earlier, Musk’s indication of a potential suspension of Dragon flights sparked significant concern within NASA, as it threatened the scheduling of astronaut rotations to the International Space Station. Although Musk subsequently retracted the statement, the episode underscored the Pentagon’s reliance on SpaceX for launching vital defense satellites, prompting officials to seek more resilient and diversified launch options to safeguard national security interests.