Dont let the Trump-Musk breakup harm kids NASA and SpaceX

Dead as the Trump-Musk bromance plainly is, neither man — nor the American people, heck even the world as a whole — would benefit from a disruption in federal contracts for at least two Musk companies: Starlink and, especially, SpaceX.It looked to be headed that way at one point in Thursday’s post-war, with President Trump’s Truth Social blast saying one way to save billions is “to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts,” prompting a later Musk tweet about SpaceX “decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately.”Credit banker Bill Ackman for weighing in on X with a call for the two to “make peace for the benefit of our great country.We are much stronger together than apart” — which brought a terse “You’re not wrong” reply from Musk, followed by general radio silence.Trump has also cooled down, pointedly shrugging off the feud as he chatted with Post reporters Friday.Which suggests he won’t be taking Steve Bannon’s insane advice to try to deport Musk and have Uncle Sam seize SpaceX.The Crew Dragon is now the primary vehicle for US astronauts heading to orbit; the Cargo Dragon is now key to supplying the International Space Station.And SpaceX’s reusable, super-heavy-lift Starship holds huge promise for both public- and private-sector ambitions in space.And no better alternatives are on the near horizon, though we certainly root for vigorous private-sector competition to keep cutting costs and extending humanity’s off-planet footprint.As for Starlink, it’s plainly the cheapest and best option for federal programs to provide broadband in remote, lower-income areas.Musk, meanwhile, would only be stomping on his own dreams (and profits) if he quit his NASA work now.The breakup sure looks permanent, but some relationship is still mutually beneficial, and a boon to everyone except their still-shared enemies; anyone pushing either man to fight any more is just urging him to shoot himself in the foot....