A public dispute between President Trump and Elon Musk has jeopardised US space leadership. Proposed budget cuts threaten NASA missions, especially climate science and planetary exploration, while prioritising lunar and Mars ambitions.

The space agency has published its budget request to Congress which would see funding for science projects cut by nearly a half.

On June 5, as the feud between the two erstwhile besties escalated, Trump posted on his Truth Social Platform, “The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. I was always surprised that Biden didn’t do it!”