Elon Musk Shuts Down Dragon – SpaceX Abruptly Terminates Key Program

🚀 On Thursday, Elon Musk dropped a bombshell on the space industry by announcing the immediate termination of SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft program — one of the most critical assets of modern American spaceflight.

He posted on X:

“In light of the President’s statement to terminate all government contracts with my companies, @SpaceX will begin phasing out the Dragon program effective immediately.”

The decision comes amid an escalating feud between Musk and Donald Trump. Following Musk’s criticism of Trump’s latest tax plan, the former president retaliated by pulling Jared Isaacman’s nomination for NASA — a long-time Musk ally. What began as policy disagreement has now turned into a full-blown clash.

Dragon: The Backbone of U.S. Manned Space Missions

The Dragon spacecraft has been a vital part of NASA’s cargo and crew transport strategy. From 2010 to 2020, Dragon 1 completed 23 cargo missions. Its successor, Dragon 2, introduced in 2019, added crew transport capabilities and became NASA’s go-to vehicle after the Shuttle program ended.

No other American-built spacecraft currently rivals its role. With both Dragon 1 and Dragon 2 being shut down, there’s no immediate replacement available.

Future Projects Also in Danger: Dragon XL and Artemis IV

The fallout doesn’t stop with operational spacecraft.

Dragon XL, a planned module for NASA’s Lunar Gateway, is now in jeopardy. It was expected to support missions until Starship matures into a reliable alternative — but now, even that timeline is uncertain.

The disruption hits especially hard for Artemis IV, NASA’s first manned mission to the Lunar Gateway, scheduled for 2028. Without Dragon XL, the mission’s logistics are thrown into disarray.