SpaceX founder Elon Musk has made harsh statements against NASA’s interim administrator, Sean Duffy. Musk is NASA’s most important contract partner. Musk called Duffy “Sean Dummy” and accused him of trying to destroy NASA. He also said, “The person in charge of America’s space program cannot have a double-digit IQ.” These statements were interpreted as revealing a backroom battle for NASA leadership.

Dirty battle for NASA position: Elon Musk targets interim administrator

At the center of all this tension is the race to be NASA’s next permanent administrator. On one side stands private astronaut and billionaire Jared Isaacman. Isaacman was nominated by Donald Trump last year, but his candidacy was withdrawn at the last minute for political reasons. On the other side stands former congressman Sean Duffy. Duffy was appointed interim administrator by Trump after Isaacman’s dismissal. Duffy has little experience in space and also serves as Secretary of Transportation.

Duffy’s primary task was to find a permanent administrator. However, Duffy appears to enjoy running NASA. He prefers appearing on television and promoting the positive spaceflight agenda over addressing the problems at the Department of Transportation. Duffy’s most significant move was to appoint Amit Kshatriya from within the agency as deputy administrator. Kshatriya is known to be unsympathetic to the use of SpaceX’s Starship as a lunar lander.

While sources indicated that Duffy wanted to keep his position, a NASA spokesperson denied this. The spokesperson said Duffy was merely assisting the president. However, Duffy appeared on television earlier this week to criticize SpaceX for lagging behind on the lunar lander. This was an unusual criticism of NASA’s most important partner. NASA projects are almost always delayed, and Duffy made no mention of other delayed projects (astronaut suits, for example).

Duffy is thought to have two reasons for making these criticisms. First, to demonstrate to Trump that he is determined to return to the Moon before China. Second, to prove to the industry that he can stand up to SpaceX. It was reported that Duffy called SpaceX’s competitors (such as Blue Origin) over the weekend, asking for support and promising to support their lunar programs. His television statements were a reflection of these private meetings.

Elon Musk’s harsh reaction followed these developments. Musk was angered by the public criticism of his company, which had invested billions of dollars in the Starship program. Duffy’s praise for Blue Origin, which had not yet reached orbit, drew particular criticism. SpaceX, thanks to its Dragon capsule, prevented NASA from relying on Russia for astronaut transport. While Musk is believed to be supportive of Isaacman, the two do not meet regularly, and Musk is believed to have reacted with more disappointment.

This war of words comes at a particularly difficult time for NASA. The agency has lost 20 percent of its workforce due to cuts and retirements. Morale is low, and leadership uncertainty is slowing the process. It has also been revealed that Duffy has proposed moving NASA under the Department of Transportation. Duffy’s spokesperson confirmed this suggestion. This move could make Duffy’s control of the agency permanent.

This open disagreement between NASA’s largest supplier and its interim administrator poses serious risks to the Moon return program. Do you think Elon Musk’s harsh reaction is justified? What impact will this leadership crisis at NASA have on the Artemis missions? We welcome your comments.