The ongoing tussle between former President Donald Trump and SpaceX’s CEO Elon Musk that has fallen out of the blue is now clouding the picture on the future of the U.S. space program. The dispute is focused on SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, a U.S. vehicle which is the only one capable of conveying astronauts to and from the International Space Station (ISS). The mentioned skirmish not only raised the issue about the future of space exploration but also how it may affect the people directly.
SpaceX’s Dragon: A Critical Element in Boosting U.S. Space Exploration
Eversince the record-setting take-off in 2020, Dragon had been the leading craft in the flight of NASA to the ISS, bringing astronauts to space and removing America’s need for space agencies from other countries such as Russia’s Soyuz. The current tensions between Musk and Trump, however, have endangered the program. Trump has put forth the possibility of rescinding government contracts with SpaceX, which would then make Musk stop the operation of Dragon. That would result in NASA’s space unmanned programs and the United States would have to use foreign space agencies as an alternative in human space missions.
What Will Be the Expected Outcome to the Ordinary Americans?
Clueless as some may be, the benefits from developments of space programs like space missions have always bled into everyday living. Space related technologies have even allowed us to advance in satellite communication, weather, and medical science. Without Dragon, innovations can take longer which would mean that critical technological benefits that U.S. consumers can have access to in a quick manner would go to waste.
Moreover, if the United States doesn’t have the way to space transportation which is reliable and independent, they may run out of the technological edge to the disadvantage of national security and global competitiveness.
Technological Dependence and Safety of the Country
The issue of Trump and Musk shows that the space activities of the United States are not secure, the space program is vulnerable. Depending too much on such a private enterprise as SpaceX for strategic space operations makes it easier for enemies to attack. The situation of losing the domestic space transport would affect the independent position of the United States in global space exploration and security along with the current geopolitical crisis due to various factors.
The Title of a Growing Concern for Americans
Although it is not clear to everyone that the main point of the conflict between these businesses is not the aftermath, the results of the loss of the U.S. in the area of space transportation, technological development, and national security are terrible. Amid this conflict that keeps getting deeper and deeper, the U.S. citizens must not only observe the direct impact on the country`s space power but also technologies that are still likely to make human lives easier and simpler.
