SpaceX no longer needs NASA, and that's a problem for America's space agency
Summary
SpaceX is signaling that it may reduce its work on government spaceflight contracts, even as it continues to fulfill existing commitments. The company has said it plans to stop flying Crew Dragon by or before 2030 and has declined some potential launch work, raising questions about NASA’s future access to commercial space services.Key Facts
- SpaceX told NASA it plans to stop flying Crew Dragon by or before 2030.
- Crew Dragon is NASA’s current astronaut transportation service to the International Space Station, according to the article.
- SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell said NASA should rely more on Boeing for astronaut transportation.
- SpaceX stopped selling commercial Falcon 9 launches for missions scheduled after 2028, Ars reported in October.
- SpaceX may not use Falcon 9 for some future NASA missions, including a possible U.S. Deorbit Vehicle mission after 2030.
- SpaceX told the U.S. Space Force it would not bid on three new launch contracts for the late 2020s, Politico reported.
- SpaceX recently told companies building small NASA lunar landers that it would not provide launch services, according to sources cited in the article.
- SpaceX continues to fulfill its existing contracts with NASA, the Space Force and other government entities.
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