SpaceX CEO Elon Musk criticized Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy on his social media platform X, implying that Duffy has a low IQ.
The confrontation began when Duffy, who also serves as Transportation Secretary, remarked in a CNBC interview that SpaceX was “falling behind” on its Starship development schedule, which risks delaying NASA’s first crewed moon landing since 1972.
In July, Duffy, the U.S. Secretary of Transportation, was appointed interim Administrator of NASA by President Donald Trump. This followed the withdrawal of the previous nominee due to potential conflicts of interest. Although Duffy lacks a scientific background, his leadership skills and political experience were seen as valuable during a challenging period for the agency.
Duffy announced plans to “open the contract” to other companies, including Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, saying, “We’re not going to wait for one company. We’re going to win the second space race against China.”
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Under Duffy’s tenure, NASA faced significant budget cuts, with its science program funding proposed to drop from $7.33 billion to $3.9 billion, and the overall agency budget reduced from $24.8 billion to $18.8 billion annually. These cuts prompted a wave of employee departures, with hundreds leaving amid concerns about the agency’s future.
Add to that, his comments about moving away from SpaceX and it looks like Musk might be in trouble. Musk fired back on X (formerly Twitter), mocking Duffy as “Sean Dummy” and accusing him of “trying to kill Nasa.”
The Trump administration plans to retire the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion capsule after the Artemis III mission, opting instead for more cost-effective commercial launch systems. The Gateway lunar station program is also set to be canceled, with parts repurposed for other missions. These changes claim to streamline NASA’s operations and redirect resources toward priority projects, according to the administration.
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In another post, Musk wrote: “Turning Nasa into a political branch will cripple space innovation. The road to the Moon should not go through bureaucracy.”
A central focus of the new strategy is Mars exploration, with an additional $1 billion earmarked to accelerate technologies and missions targeting a human landing on Mars. This push includes greater collaboration with private companies like SpaceX, which is developing the Starship vehicle for interplanetary travel. Alongside these strategic priorities, NASA is undergoing workforce reductions, anticipating over 2,000 employees leaving through a voluntary departure program.
Musk’s public criticism of Duffy and the administration’s approach highlights tensions between private innovation and government oversight. Despite setbacks in lunar contracts, SpaceX’s advanced Starship technology positions it well for Mars ambitions, which remain a key focus of NASA’s strategy.