The scene was intended to go down in history. It will ultimately remain a draft. On Tuesday, Elon Musk and Donald Trump watched helplessly as SpaceX’s Starship rocket failed to catch up. The opportunity was great for the American president-elect and his future minister responsible for government efficiency to launch a mandate under the sign of space conquest, it was a bit of a miss.
But the ambitions remain, with a big question mark. Still boss of SpaceX, Elon Musk will find himself at the head of a service responsible for applying a weight-loss cure to the federal administration. Administration which includes NASA, which already outsources part of its operations… thanks to SpaceX. Could the billionaire be tempted, in one way or another, to direct his political action to benefit his company? 20 Minutes takes stock with Oliver Sanguy, head of space news at the Cité de l’Espace in Toulouse.
Can Elon Musk dismantle NASA?
At the heart of his businessman’s concerns, NASA has no reason to be the political priority of the Minister of Doge (English name of the Ministry of Government Efficiency, but also of a cryptocurrency that he launched). “NASA only represents 0.5 to 0.7% of the federal budget, we make a lot of noise about not much,” explains Olivier Sanguy. But even with other projects to carry out, Elon Musk could want to take advantage of a “Trump administration which will have free rein in Congress for two years”.
Except that “the laws are still there”. The risk that the boss of SpaceX “finds himself judge and jury” on this issue is quite clear. The trajectory of outsourcing NASA activities will then be even more scrutinized. “NASA’s mission is no longer to build or launch rockets, but to know what to do with them,” explains Olivier Sanguy. Increasingly, NASA therefore finds itself “applying the White House space policy”, oriented towards Science and exploration.
The billionaire could still be tempted to “reduce NASA’s administrative footprint”, in which case a conflict of interest would be possible. But Olivier Sanguy recalls a major principle at NASA: “always have two service providers, just in case”, whether for launchers or spacesuits. Thus, “Nasa is careful not to depend too much on SpaceX, and SpaceX owes its existence to NASA’s requests for services.”
Does SpaceX have a stake in missions to the Moon or Mars?
Despite the delays, Artemis, the return mission to the Moon (launched under Trump), is well advanced. If SpaceX has a role to play with the Starship, particularly on refueling and the moon landing module, it is not alone. “The SLS launcher is a classic Boeing launcher” and the Orion capsule is equipped by ESA. “At the moment, the Americans are not going to the Moon without the Europeans,” reassures Oliver Sanguy. Some already imagine that “Starship could do everything, but there are security problems for the capsule, the manned Starship is not ready,” points out the space news specialist.
The issue would also be politically costly. “The construction of the SLS brings several states to life, it is a bipartisan issue in the Senate”, which could then turn against Elon Musk. Could the billionaire, more interested in Mars than the Moon, change the entire program? Olivier Sanguy does not believe in “a manned mission to Mars in four years”, and recalls that “Trump has always made opposition to China a strong axis”. In the race in which the two countries are engaged towards the Moon, it is undoubtedly too late to change objectives.
FCC, FAA… Elon Musk tried to slash the administrations that bother him?
More discreetly, Elon Musk could benefit his company by attacking the administrations that bother him today. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regularly refuses subsidies for Starlink satellites, a system praised by Donald Trump during the electoral campaign in Florida. The billionaire also regularly criticizes the FAA, the only authority authorized to authorize Starship tests.
The latest information on SpaceX
“For years, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has said that it does not have enough employees to cope with the explosion in demand for space launches,” underlines Olivier Sanguy. If he pushes for a reduction in the number of officials at the FAA, Elon Musk could put the administration in difficulty and, again, find himself judge and jury. “It’s in the libertarian political logic: less and less State, and it’s the private sector which takes responsibility for everything, even if there are some problems,” summarizes Olivier Sanguy.
