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A rising dispute between President Donald Trump and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has potential implications for the future of the U.S. space program. The conflict became public when Trump, advocating for his "One Big Beautiful Bill," suggested terminating SpaceX's governmental contracts and subsidies. Musk retaliated by hinting at decommissioning SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft, crucial for transporting crew and cargo to the International Space Station.

In other developments, Blue Origin, the space company founded by Jeff Bezos, accomplished a successful suborbital mission. On May 31, a New Shepard booster propelled a six-person crew to an altitude of nearly 65 miles from Bezos' ranch in West Texas, crossing the internationally recognized boundary into space. The passengers included Americans Aymette Medina Jorge, Gretchen Green, Paul Jeris, Canadian Jesse Williams, New Zealander Mark Rocket, and Panamanian Jaime Alemán.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Space Force has entered a $4 billion, 10-year contract with Jacobs Technology, now part of Amentum, to enhance engineering and technical services at the nation's space launch ranges. This contract, known as the "Space Force Range Contract," aims to modernize infrastructure and boost capacity amidst surging commercial space activity. The Eastern Range operates out of Patrick Space Force Base in Florida, and the Western Range is based at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

Impulse Space, a propulsion company founded by former SpaceX propulsion expert Tom Mueller, announced a significant $300 million capital raise. This follows a previous round last year in which the company secured $150 million. The funding will support the development of larger vehicles like Helios, enhancing the capabilities of SpaceX's Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets for missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.

SpaceX also marked a historical milestone with its 500th orbital launch attempt from Vandenberg Space Force Base, coinciding with the 15th anniversary of the Falcon 9's first launch on June 4, 2010. The flight, designated Starlink 11-22, was the 68th Falcon 9 launch of the year, closely following the company's 500th Falcon rocket overall.

In a related update, the bankrupt Reaction Engines was spotlighted following its ambitious but unfulfilled vision of developing the SABRE air-breathing rocket engine. The U.K.-based company had aimed to revolutionize space travel with single-stage-to-orbit spaceplanes before financial woes halted progress.

Amid these developments, Blue Origin's CEO Dave Limp called for commercial companies to lead space infrastructure while government agencies focus on pioneering research and exploration. With collaboration at the forefront, commercial entities like SpaceX and Blue Origin could drive costs lower while enabling NASA to concentrate on groundbreaking missions.