The United States’ “excessive” reliance on SpaceX harms its national security

While the political dispute between the founder and CEO of SpaceX, Elon Musk, and US President Donald Trump seemed to have calmed down earlier, this dispute highlighted a very important gap, as the US government had become excessively dependent on SpaceX.

Through his $400 billion space company, Musk has completely changed the space launch game by dramatically reducing launch costs and increasing its range.

SpaceX’s technical superiority and cost-effectiveness have made it indispensable to both NASA and the Pentagon. However, tying so much of America’s strategic space infrastructure to one private, politically volatile entity means a national security vulnerability hidden in plain sight.

The question is no longer whether SpaceX is capable of delivering payloads into orbit, but rather whether America’s current and deep dependence on this company can be exploited politically in the future.

The dispute – which escalated last summer between Trump and Musk and resulted largely from the latter’s objections to the “One Big, Beautiful Bill,” in which access to SpaceX was used as a key bargaining chip – suggests that the answer to this question is “yes.”

Weak point

At the height of their political dispute, and after weeks of exchanging barbs on rival social media platforms, Trump threatened to withdraw federal funding from the American billionaire’s business entirely, and even considered opening an investigation to extradite the tech mogul to South Africa. In response, Musk pledged to shut down SpaceX’s Dragon capsule, which is the only American means of transportation to the International Space Station.

The threats were absurd, but they highlighted a major weakness: If Musk had actually carried out his threat, it would have left the United States completely dependent on Russia to send astronauts to the International Space Station, raising questions about the future of the American space program, and putting access to space under the influence of one of our biggest adversaries.

Although Musk later deleted his initial tweet, Trump officials later decided that most of the deals could not be canceled because they were critical to US national security. In other words, SpaceX has become a vital tool in everything the United States does in orbit and beyond, and the truth is that we need Elon Musk more than he needs us.

Government contracts

The numbers tell the story. With nearly $22 billion in government contracts, SpaceX has become deeply integrated into America’s national security and space programs. The company’s powerful, reusable Falcon rockets remain essential for the Pentagon to provide low-cost, reliable access to space and transport payloads, while maintaining national security.

The Crew Dragon vehicle has become NASA’s primary means of transportation to and from the International Space Station, while the company’s global satellite Internet service, Starlink, provides vital communications capabilities to the War Department and supports nearly 50 military commands.

In addition to these pioneering innovations, the American billionaire’s company, SpaceX, was responsible for launching more than 90% of American satellites into space, many of which serve American military and intelligence missions.

Risks

However, Russia’s war in Ukraine has highlighted the danger of a single powerful entity controlling much of its critical technology and infrastructure.

While the Starlink network continues to support US allies in Ukraine and connect the country to the battlefields, Musk repeatedly threatened to cut off Kiev’s access to satellite service as his criticism of its handling of the war increased.

In late September 2022, Musk turned his words into actions when he ordered the interruption of Starlink service in major regions of Ukraine, during a pivotal campaign to reclaim territory from Russia. The move completely disrupted the counterattack, as Ukrainian forces suddenly faced a communications blackout in a way that reshaped the front line of the fighting.

In other words, with one thing, Musk shaped the outcome of the battle, and the larger course of the war. In the process, he clearly demonstrated the potential dangers of such a monopoly.

Strategic dependency

Historically, US government defense contracts have been characterized by flexibility and redundancy, and NASA’s operations have always reflected a similar care, awarding multiple contracts for the same mission, to avoid over-reliance on a single provider.

But with SpaceX’s continued ability to underbid and deliver greater value, other companies have struggled to compete for the Pentagon’s attention. As a result, the US government fell into a pattern of strategic dependency, which could lead to disaster in the event of a renewed dispute between Trump and Musk.

The solution is not necessarily to continue appeasing Musk, nor is it to abandon SpaceX. Rather, the US government must work to diversify its defense contracts beyond the hands of a single billionaire, re-establish traditional defense planning barriers, and regain control of our future in space.

This will require finding viable commercial alternatives capable of protecting Americans’ access to space, regardless of prevailing political trends.

The US government will thank itself later for taking such a step now, before the next political dispute arises. About “National Interest”

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Private government employee

Technology mogul, Elon Musk, said that a draft law proposed by the administration of US President Donald Trump, and approved in Congress, will increase the federal government’s deficit and undermine the work of the Ministry of Government Efficiency, which has laid off tens of thousands of employees.

Musk, who was always at the US President’s side, before he withdrew to focus on his work at SpaceX and Tesla, also complained that the Government Efficiency Authority had become a “scapegoat” due to the dispute between it and the administration.

Musk wrote on his “X” platform, at the end of last May: “With the end of my term as a private government employee, I would like to thank President Donald Trump for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending,” indicating that the mission of the Government Efficiency Authority will be strengthened over time, as it will become a way of life throughout the government.

The bill, which Musk criticizes, was approved by the US House of Representatives in May, and the law provides broad tax breaks and spending cuts.

• With about $22 billion in government contracts, SpaceX has become deeply integrated into US national security and space programs.