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Trump Ties Moon Return to SpaceX Starship, Deepening Reliance

By Drooid · Oct 5, 2026, 5:09 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

President Donald Trump linked the United States’ Moon return goal to SpaceX’s Starship, deepening reliance on Musk’s firm.
Starship reached Earth orbit for the first time last week and targets a crewed Moon landing in 2028.
The Pentagon awarded SpaceX at least $7 billion in contracts this year, according to Reuters estimates.
Trump withdrew Jared Isaacman’s NASA administrator nomination, threatened SpaceX contracts, and Musk replied by threatening to decommission Dragon.

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Story summary

President Donald Trump linked the United States’ Moon return goal to SpaceX’s Starship, deepening reliance on Musk’s firm.
Starship reached Earth orbit for the first time last week and targets a crewed Moon landing in 2028.
The Pentagon awarded SpaceX at least $7 billion in contracts this year, according to Reuters estimates.
Trump withdrew Jared Isaacman’s NASA administrator nomination, threatened SpaceX contracts, and Musk replied by threatening to decommission Dragon.