FX.co ★ Musk’s friendship with Trump may help SpaceX get government contracts

Elon Musk’s SpaceX may end up the biggest winner in the space race for government contracts under a Donald Trump presidency. In the United States, maintaining a favorable relationship with the president may offer substantial strategic advantages, including access to high-value government contracts.

According to US media reports and insiders among current and former officials, SpaceX is already gearing up to lock in lucrative government contracts. The reason is quite clear. The fact is that the Trump administration strongly favors private contractors, entrusting them with everything from satellite manufacturing to communications systems. As it happens, SpaceX dominates precisely in those areas.

Currently, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is reviewing four major SpaceX projects. The company is seeking permission to build new rocket launch sites and expand its use of government spaceports. Clearly, Musk needs more room to launch rockets more frequently, more powerfully, and more profitably.

Still, some questions linger. “We will never know if SpaceX would authentically win competitions for these awards because all of the offices in government intended to prevent corruption and conflicts of interest have been beheaded or defunded,” Daniel Brian, executive director of the Project on Government Oversight, pointed out. In other words, no one is really watching. It all comes down to the honor system between Musk and Trump.

Interestingly, Musk once promised to send anyone who wants to go to Mars within the next 20–30 years. Thanks to his close ties with Trump, SpaceX might finally get the cash to turn that dream into liftoff. For now, it seems the formula is simple: befriend the president and shoot for the stars.