Musk vs Trump: Elon Musk fan Ian Miles Cheon asks him to move space program to UAE
Image generated by AI for creative and illustrative purposes only
There's always one tweet that distills geopolitical fantasy into 280 characters. This time, it came from
Elon Musk
loyalist Ian Miles Cheong:
'Elon Musk should simply move his entire
SpaceX
operation to the United Arab Emirates.
The UAE stands at the forefront of technological progress and mankind's ascent to the stars.'
The idea sounds far-fetched. But it also speaks to something very real: the UAE's growing ambition to become a serious player in the global space race, just as Musk finds himself increasingly disillusioned with Washington, and estranged from his on-again-off-again political ally, Donald Trump.
A Rift at the Edge of Orbit
The Musk–Trump relationship, once a spectacle of anti-establishment synergy, has hit turbulence.
Musk, long the poster boy for public-private innovation, turned sharply against Trump's latest bloated federal spending bill, calling it a 'disgusting abomination.' Trump, ever retaliatory, suggested the US could save 'billions' by cutting off Musk's federal contracts. In MAGA-speak, that's a declaration of war.
As Tesla and X stocks tanked, erasing over $150 billion in market value, Musk threatened to decommission the Dragon capsule, the spacecraft that connects Earth to the International Space Station.
That post came just minutes after Trump floated cancelling SpaceX subsidies. For a brief moment, the world's most influential entrepreneur looked ready to break orbit, not just from Earth, but from America.
That's when the UAE entered the chat.
A Desert with Dreams of the Stars
While the Musk-Trump bromance combusts on X, the United Arab Emirates has been quietly, and not so quietly, building the infrastructure of a spacefaring nation. The Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) in Dubai is now home to a replica Falcon 9 booster, a symbolic tribute to Musk's engineering triumph.
In 2020, the UAE launched its Hope probe to Mars, making it the first Arab nation to embark on an interplanetary mission.
It reached Martian orbit in 2021.
Unlike many space programs that began with Cold War posturing, the UAE's ambitions are rooted in a long-term economic and technological vision. Its Mars 2117 project imagines a human settlement on the Red Planet within a century. The country has invested heavily in satellite tech, astronaut training (two UAE astronauts have now flown to space), and international partnerships with
NASA
, Roscosmos, and JAXA.
And most crucially, it has money. Oil money. Sovereign wealth fund money. The kind of money that could theoretically bankroll a massive SpaceX relocation, if only US export laws allowed it.
Reality Check: Can Musk Really Move?
While the fantasy of a SpaceX launch site in Abu Dhabi sparks excitement, it hits a hard wall named ITAR, the International Traffic in Arms Regulations. Aerospace technology like Falcon rockets and Dragon capsules is tightly controlled by the US government, especially because of SpaceX's work with NASA and the Pentagon.
Relocating operations overseas would require navigating a minefield of national security laws, intellectual property battles, and contract obligations.
Then there's the infrastructure: SpaceX's launch pads in Florida and Texas, its Starlink deployment network, and its deep entanglement with the US military-industrial complex. Even for someone as unpredictable as Musk, uprooting an entire space ecosystem is more fever dream than flight plan.
But what is serious, and worth watching, is how quickly the idea caught fire. Because when powerful partnerships fall apart, when the emperor of disruption turns on the emperor of MAGA, imagination fills the vacuum. And the UAE, with its deep pockets and deeper ambitions, is perfectly poised to be the world's favourite hypothetical.
A Marriage of Convenience, Deorbited
The collapse of the Musk-Trump dynamic is more than just a tech billionaire breaking up with a former President.
It symbolises the end of a political alliance that once seemed like the future of American populism. Musk was the brains, Trump the brawn. Their combined disdain for bureaucracy made them the heroes of a Silicon Valley–meets–Talk Radio voter base.
But now? Trump accuses Musk of 'losing it' after his subsidies began to vanish. Musk retaliates by quoting House Republicans and teasing a centrist third party. Their shared fantasy of dismantling the 'deep state' has devolved into petty poll wars and social media jabs.
And in that vacuum, the UAE has emerged, not as a saviour, but as a symbol of what a forward-looking, well-funded, and ideologically agnostic space agenda might look like.
Between Hope and Hype
The truth is, Elon Musk isn't moving to the Emirates anytime soon. But the fact that people think he could is a testament to what the UAE has managed to build, credibility. In the span of two decades, it has gone from oil-rich sandbox to serious contender in the celestial stakes.
Its universities are training aerospace engineers. Its astronauts are flying with NASA. Its space centre has a waiting list for international collaborations.
So, while the Dragon capsule remains on US soil, the battle for the future of space may not be limited to the US, Russia, and China anymore. The UAE is still in the early innings, but it's playing to win.
And as for Musk and Trump? Their Cold War is far from over. But in the echoes of that fallout, a new contender has quietly entered the arena, bathed in desert light, aiming for the stars.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News18
26 minutes ago
- News18
'We Will End It': Iran Says All Americans In Region Now A Target After US Strikes Its Nuclear Sites
Last Updated: Iran's threat came after US President Donald Trump announced a "very successful attack" on three Iranian nuclear sites on Saturday, as tensions escalated in West Asia. Iran's state television warned US President Donald Trump that every American citizen or military personnel in West Asia was now a 'target", after the United States launched 'successful" airstrikes on three nuclear sites in Iran – Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan. 'The US has committed a crime against Iran by violating Iran's airspace. It has no place in the West Asian region. Mr. President of the United States, you started it and we will end it," said the Iranian broadcaster, while displaying a graphic of US bases in the region. These remarks came after US President Donald Trump on Saturday said the American military had carried out a 'very successful attack" on three Iranian nuclear sites, including the crucial underground uranium enrichment facility at Fordow. 'We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan," Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform. 'A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow." He also described it as a 'historic" moment for the United States, Israel and the world. His shock announcement came just two days after he said he would decide 'within two weeks" whether to join key ally Israel in attacking Iran. Iranian media reports said all three nuclear sites were evacuated shortly before the US strikes. Regional officials in Iran later confirmed the Isfahan, Natanz and Fordow nuclear facilities have been attacked. High Alert In Israel As per Israeli estimates, the US strikes caused significant damage to Iranian nuclear facilities. Israel raised its alert level, permitting only essential activities until further notice, the military announced on Sunday after US strikes on Iran. An increased security presence was reported around the US embassy in Iraq, which had earlier asked Iran not to target US bases as the conflict escalated. Meanwhile, Trump told Reuters in a brief phone call that Iran should 'stop immediately, otherwise they'll get hit again." This came as Israel and Iran traded devastating strikes for more than a week after Israel launched its aerial campaign on June 13, saying Tehran was on the verge of developing a nuclear weapon. Israel said on Saturday it had killed three more Iranian commanders in its unprecedented offensive. Meanwhile, Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian had warned of a 'more devastating" retaliation should Israel's nine-day bombing campaign continue, saying the Islamic republic would not halt its nuclear program 'under any circumstances." Iran's Houthi allies in Yemen on Saturday threatened to resume their attacks on US vessels in the Red Sea if Washington joined the war, despite a recent ceasefire agreement. First Published: June 22, 2025, 07:04 IST
Hindustan Times
26 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
'Middle East bully's nuke sites completely, totally obliterated': Donald Trump on Iran strikes
Delivering an address to the nation after US military strikes on Iran, President Donald Trump said the attack "completely and totally obliterated" the Iranian nuclear enrichment facilities targeted. L: Iran Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei | R: US President Donald Trump (Reuters photos) US on Saturday struck three Iranian nuclear sites – Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan – with President Donald Trump asking Iran to agree to 'end the war' after the 'historic moment for the United States of America, Israel and the world'. Follow Israel Iran conflict live updates 'Tonight, I can report to the world that the strikes were a spectacular military success. Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated. Iran, the bully of the Middle East must now make peace. If they do not, future attacks will be far greater and a lot easier,' Trump said in the address to nation. Confirming the strikes, US President Trump first posted on Truth Social, 'We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan. All planes are now outside of Iran air space. A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow. All planes are safely on their way home. Congratulations to our great American Warriors. There is not another military in the World that could have done this. NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE! Thank you for your attention to this matter.' In another post, Donald Trump wrote, 'I will be giving an Address to the Nation at 10:00 P.M., at the White House, regarding our very successful military operation in Iran. This is an HISTORIC MOMENT FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ISRAEL, AND THE WORLD. IRAN MUST NOW AGREE TO END THIS WAR. THANK YOU!' With the strikes, the US has officially directly joined the Israeli campaign with President US President Donald Trump on June 18 had said 'exactly' where the Iranian Supreme Leader is "hiding" is known, adding that 'at least for now, they are not going to kill him.' Donald Trump warned Ayatollah Ali Khamenei against further attacks, as he appeared to demand Tehran's unconditional surrender. Follow Iran-Israel conflict live updates Trump posted on Truth Social, 'We know exactly where the so-called ' Supreme Leader' is hiding. He is an easy target, but is safe there - We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now. But we don't want missiles shot at civilians, or American soldiers. Our patience is wearing thin. Thank you for your attention to this matter!' In another post, Donald Trump had written, 'UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!' Israel said the strikes were needed to stop Iran from going further with its nuclear plans, claiming that the country is very close to having a weapon.
Time of India
27 minutes ago
- Time of India
Iran's Atomic Energy Organization says it will not allow nuclear development to stop
Iran 's Atomic Energy Organization said on Sunday it would not allow the development of its "national industry" - an apparent reference to the country's nuclear development - to be stopped. ALSO READ: US forces bomb Iranian nuclear sites; 'Fordow is gone' says Trump It also said the attacks on its nuclear sites violate international law, without clarifying the extent of the damage from the U.S. strikes that President Donald Trump announced earlier.
