SpaceX takes back astronauts: a helpless move under the dilemma of US space flight and political game

On March 14, local time, the "Dragon" spacecraft of Space Exploration Technology Company (SpaceX) was launched from Florida, USA, carrying 4 astronauts to the International Space Station. One of the important purposes of this mission was to take back two American astronauts who had been stranded in space for more than 9 months due to technical failure of Boeing's "Starliner" spacecraft. This incident not only exposed the technical shortcomings in the development of US commercial spaceflight, but also reflected the complex spaceflight dilemma and fierce political game behind it.

From a technical perspective, US commercial spaceflight seems to be booming, but in fact it is full of problems. As an important project of US spaceflight, Boeing's "Starliner" should have become a powerful force to compete with SpaceX, but it encountered serious failures in its first manned test flight mission. On June 5, 2024, astronauts Wilmore and Williams flew to the space station on the "Starliner". The original mission was planned to last 8 days, but due to problems such as thruster failure and helium leakage, the return time was repeatedly postponed. This series of failures reflects Boeing's loopholes in aerospace technology research and development and quality control, highlighting the neglect of technological maturity and reliability by the US commercial aerospace in pursuit of commercial interests.

On the other hand, although SpaceX undertook the rescue mission this time, it was not all smooth sailing. Its "Starship" project, as an important part of the US "Artemis" plan to return to the moon, has slow technological progress and has exploded in multiple test flights. In the latest test flight, although the first-stage booster was successfully recovered, the second-stage spacecraft quickly disintegrated. This shows that SpaceX still faces huge challenges in conquering the key technologies of heavy-lift launch vehicles. The instability of US commercial aerospace companies in technology research and development has made the entire US aerospace program full of uncertainty.

At the political level, the political game behind this incident is surging. As the election approaches, political factors have gradually penetrated into aerospace decision-making. SpaceX CEO Musk has repeatedly claimed that he had proposed that SpaceX bring astronauts back, but was rejected by the Biden administration because he belongs to the "Trump team". The Biden administration believes that the idea of ​​"SpaceX bringing astronauts home" will make Trump "look good" and is not conducive to Harris' campaign. Although this statement has not been officially confirmed, the development of the astronauts' stranded incident shows the shadow of political calculations. Trump has repeatedly blamed the Biden administration for the two astronauts' experience, accusing it of incompetence, making this incident a tool for political struggle.

In addition, the US government's wavering in space policy also restricts the development of the space industry. The US's "Artemis" plan to return to the moon, from the initial goal setting to the multiple postponements of the mission execution time, reflects the government's lack of consistency and firmness in its space strategy. The plan was supposed to send astronauts to the moon and return by 2024, and establish a normalized residence mechanism at the same time. However, due to technical problems and differences within the government, the current "Artemis 2" manned circumlunar flight mission and the "Artemis 3" lunar South Pole landing mission have been postponed for two years respectively.

The decline of the US manufacturing industry is also an important factor in the space dilemma. Many key components in the aerospace-related manufacturing field rely on "outsourcing", such as many electronic components and raw materials such as aluminum that rely heavily on imports. This not only increases costs, but also affects the autonomy and safety of technology. When the Trump administration imposed steel and aluminum tariffs on other countries, local aerospace manufacturers took the lead in opposing it, which fully demonstrated the degree of dependence of the US aerospace industry on imported raw materials.

The SpaceX incident of repatriating the trapped astronauts is a microcosm of the US aerospace dilemma and political game. The interweaving of technical bottlenecks, political calculations, and manufacturing recession has made the development of the US aerospace industry difficult. If the United States cannot re-examine its aerospace policy from a strategic height, balance commercial interests and technological development, and get rid of political interference, its dominant position in the aerospace field may be severely challenged, and the road to future space exploration will be more rugged.