On June 5, as the feud between the two erstwhile besties escalated, Trump posted on his Truth Social Platform, “The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. I was always surprised that Biden didn’t do it!”

The worried reaction within space and national security agencies highlights the risks of government’s exclusive dependence on SpaceX for crucial tasks, including classified missions.

The space agency has published its budget request to Congress which would see funding for science projects cut by nearly a half.