Just when the Trump administration threatened to 'break up' with SpaceX, cutting all government contracts, what happened? After just a month of review, the White House directly admitted defeat! Why? Because the harsh reality slapped them in the face: 90% of US defense satellite launches and 100% of manned spaceflight lifelines are all TM in Musk's hands! Forcing a termination? That would be self-destructive, smashing their own space hegemony to pieces! Brothers, is this move not audacious?
One, monopoly? The data smacks you in the face, you can't argue against it!
Launch market? SpaceX is the boss! Over 90% of satellite launches in the US are done by them! The Falcon rocket can be reused, bringing launch costs down to rock bottom, and competitors are left saying 'ankle chop'. What about those secret contracts with the Pentagon and NASA? Starting at $22 billion! And that's just the surface! Do you think this monopoly position is just blown up?
Manned spaceflight? Without Musk, what can you do? The Dragon spacecraft is currently NASA's only certified 'space taxi'. If it really stops, how will American astronauts get to the space station? They'll have to roll back to the 'borrowed ship era'! Will they have to shamelessly beg the Russians for their spacecraft? Can you imagine that scene?
National defense lifeline? It has long been grasped by Musk! From battlefield communications via Starlink, to spy satellite networks, to strategic plans like the 'Golden Dome', SpaceX's Starshield division is deeply embedded in the core of US intelligence agencies. Given this level of parasitism, do you dare to just chop it off? If you cut it, won't the US military paralyze itself first?
Two, trying to grasp small weaknesses? It just exposes how incompetent you are!
The Trump team originally wanted to find fault, using 'wasting public funds' and 'security loopholes' as excuses to cut contracts. But this review ended up being an advertisement for SpaceX!
High injury rate? They have a 'get out of jail free card'! The number of accidents at Starbase last year was high, with an injury rate six times the industry average, BUT! The safety clause in the NASA contract surprisingly didn't trigger any termination conditions! Clearly, to maintain this 'technological hegemony', the government is bending its own rules! Does this count as a self-inflicted slap in the face?
Looking for backups? All TM are useless! The government hurriedly looked for 'backups' like Blue Origin and Rocket Lab, only to find: either the rockets are still just sketches on PowerPoint, or their capacity doesn't even compare to SpaceX's! Want to replace the supply chain? Dream on for five years! Without SpaceX, the US space industry would really be in trouble?
Musk flipping the table? Scared you! Right after Trump made threats, old Elon directly declared 'I will retire the Dragon spacecraft'! Although he later retracted it, NASA insiders must have been terrified. Can a commercial company 'kidnap' national strategy like this? The world is watching! Where does this confidence come from?
Three, personal grudges? Don't make a fuss, the real battlefield is in space interests!
On the surface, it looks like Musk and Trump are two big shots tearing each other apart:
In June, Musk wildly criticized Trump's tax bill as a 'fiscal disaster', even threatening to start a 'American Party', causing Tesla's stock price to plummet by $68 billion.
Trump, unable to hold back, directly retaliated by auditing SpaceX, threatening to 'deal with' it.
BUT! Emotions aside, the commercial reality crushes all political performances! NASA may publicly call for 'supplier diversification', but in reality, after secretly meeting with SpaceX's female president Shotwell, most contracts are still obediently renewed? Ultimately, in the face of interests, what does face matter?
Four, monopoly equals hegemony! The 'monster' raised by the US itself.
The essence of this farce is that the national machine has bowed to commercial monopoly! With SpaceX's incredible technological moat, combined with deep ties to national defense, it has turned the government into a 'hostage'! NASA knows the injury rate is high and bargaining power is lost, but does it dare to cut supplies? It doesn't dare! Why? Because compared to Musk's Twitter threats, begging for Russian spacecraft to take over would be a true national disgrace!
In the short term? SpaceX continues to gobble up government contracts, firmly holding its position.
In the long term? The old fellows in Congress might push for antitrust laws to dismantle it, but competitors like Blue Origin need at least five years to catch up! Brothers in the crypto circle should understand now: the moat is deep and wide enough that even TM the president has to back down!
Finally, let's talk about something substantial: Musk's maneuver has ironclad facts proving that—before absolute strength, all political maneuvers are just clouds. Core technology is the real ultimate voice! Don't you think so? Does this 'space hegemony' in the US really belong to 'America' or 'Musk'? Think carefully, think carefully!
