Musk: SpaceX Will Immediately Begin Retiring the Dragon Spacecraft

BlockBeats News, June 6th, Musk tweeted, "In light of the US President's statement about canceling our government contracts, SpaceX will immediately begin the retirement of its 'Dragon' spacecraft."

BlockBeats Note: The 'Dragon' spacecraft is a reusable crew/cargo spacecraft developed by SpaceX for NASA and other customers, mainly in two versions: Cargo Dragon, used to transport goods to the International Space Station (ISS); Crew Dragon, used to ferry astronauts to the International Space Station.

Currently, NASA heavily relies on SpaceX's Crew Dragon to send astronauts to the International Space Station. If retired, NASA will temporarily lack a reliable domestic crewed spaceflight capability and will have to rely on Boeing's Starliner (which has just entered service) or foreign space agencies. If cargo missions are suspended, it may affect the space station's resupply and scientific experiments. The retirement will also impact the US commercial spaceflight reputation and leadership position.