Want to 'break up' with Musk? The Trump administration just got a harsh reality check! At the beginning of June, Trump announced he would cut all government orders from SpaceX, but after just a month of review, the White House directly admitted defeat—90% of defense satellite launches and 100% of manned spaceflight lifelines are all in Musk's hands. Forcing a breakup? Equivalent to self-destructing America's space hegemony.
1. Monopolies are not to be underestimated; the data hits you in the face.
Absolute dominance in the launch market: SpaceX handles over 90% of satellite launch missions in the U.S., and the Falcon rocket's reuse technology has directly crushed launch costs to an ankle-biting level for competitors. Pentagon and NASA's confidential contracts? Starting from $22 billion, and this is just the publicly disclosed part;
The 'only option' for manned spaceflight: Dragon spacecraft is currently the only manned spacecraft certified by NASA. If it is discontinued, American astronauts will immediately revert to the 'borrowed ship era'—having to kneel and ask Russian spacecraft to take over.
Deep parasitism in the defense supply chain: From Starlink battlefield communications, spy satellite networks to the 'Golden Dome' strategic plan, SpaceX's Starshield division has penetrated the core networks of U.S. intelligence agencies.
2. The review intended to 'catch a small flaw', but instead revealed government incompetence.
Trump's team originally planned to cut contracts on the grounds of 'waste of public funds' and 'security loopholes', but the review turned into an advantage advertisement for SpaceX:
Injury rate 6 times the industry average? The Starbase base experienced frequent accidents in 2024, but the safety breach clauses in NASA contracts did not trigger termination conditions—these clauses were clearly designed to compromise for 'technological hegemony';
Competitors are all weaklings: the government urgently contacted companies like Blue Origin and Rocket Lab, only to find that either the rockets were still in ground testing, or their capacity was insufficient compared to SpaceX's leftovers. Alternative supply chain solutions? Pure fantasy within five years;
Musk retaliated by 'flipping the table': as soon as Trump threatened, Musk immediately announced the 'retirement of the Dragon spacecraft'. Although he later retracted it, NASA's internal structure was already terrified—it's the first time globally we've seen commercial companies kidnap national strategy.
3. Political mudslinging? Space interests are the real battlefield.
This farce originated from the personal feud between Musk and Trump.
June tax bill showdown: Musk wildly criticized Trump's 'big and beautiful' bill as a 'fiscal disaster', and then announced the establishment of a third political party, the 'American Party', which directly caused Tesla's market value to evaporate by $68 billion overnight.
Trump's retaliatory audit: announced 'let the government efficiency department deal with SpaceX', but the audit ultimately showed that Musk is the true national infrastructure.
But emotions aside, commercial reality crushes political performance. NASA claims it wants 'supplier diversification', but in reality, it honestly renews contracts—after Shatwell's secret meeting with the White House, most contracts have been confirmed to be retained.
4. Monopoly is hegemony; the 'beast' that America has raised itself.
This review essentially represents the state's capitulation to commercial monopolies. SpaceX uses a technological moat and defense bundling to turn the government into a 'hostage', while NASA, knowing the injury rate exceeds standards and bargaining power is lost, dares not cut supplies—after all, Russian spacecraft are far more frightening than Musk's Twitter threats.
Short term? SpaceX continues to swallow government orders. Long term? Congress may push antitrust laws to dismantle aerospace oligopolies, but competitors like Blue Origin will need at least 5 years to catch up. Did the crypto friends understand? The moat is dug deep, even the president can only concede. Musk's move proves with strength: core technology is the ultimate discourse power.