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**NASA's dependency on SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft for manned missions to the International Space Station (ISS) was spotlighted on Thursday, as tensions between Elon Musk and President Trump erupted publicly.**

The conflict between the tech mogul and the president became a significant issue when Musk lashed out at Trump's primary spending bill, leading to a public spat that highlighted NASA's reliance on Musk's aerospace company. Should SpaceX's Dragon be decommissioned, NASA would be forced to depend solely on Russian Soyuz capsules for transporting astronauts to the ISS, a situation last necessitated by the discontinuation of the U.S. space shuttle program in 2011.

SpaceX, according to its website, boasts the Dragon spacecraft's capability of carrying up to seven passengers into orbit. Comparatively, the Soyuz is currently the only other vehicle capable of ferrying crews to the ISS. This reliance underscores the critical role that SpaceX has come to play in the realm of U.S. space travel since NASA awarded contracts to both SpaceX and Boeing in 2014 to shuttle their crews to space.

Despite SpaceX's essential contribution to manned space missions, other aerospace companies such as Northrop Grumman and the United Launch Alliance also play pivotal roles in NASA's broader operations, handling cargo transport to the ISS and launching satellites.

The feud escalated sharply on Thursday when Musk, via a series of tweets, called for President Trump's impeachment and declared his intention to start decommissioning a spacecraft crucial to NASA's functions. Although Musk later retracted this threat, the situation had already captured attention, highlighting the fragility of NASA's current arrangements for space access.

The dramatic clash began when President Trump suggested he might cancel substantial government contracts with Musk's ventures, accusing Musk of erratic behavior. This confrontation is remarkable given their past cooperative dynamic, signifying a marked downfall from their previous relationship.

However, by Thursday night, both parties appeared to adopt a more conciliatory stance, hinting at possible de-escalation of their conflict. This follows a tumultuous day marked by threats and counter-threats that underscore the delicate balance of power and dependency between the U.S. government and one of its key private sector partners in space exploration.