He ‘is trying to kill NASA!’

SpaceX and Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk criticized NASA Acting Administrator Sean Duffy this week after he told media outlets that the billionaire’s space company was falling behind on U.S. plans to return to the moon.

“The person in charge of America’s space program cannot have a 2-digit IQ,” Musk wrote on Tuesday. to mail In X.

In response to other user posts, Musk referred to the transportation secretary as follows: “*Sean Kukla“and he said it was”He’s trying to kill NASA!“Musk later published a survey users were asked: “Should someone most famous for climbing trees lead America’s space program?” Musk appeared to be referring to Duffy’s past as a competitive speed climber.

On Monday, Duffy told CNBC that SpaceX is “behind” its schedule to build the Moon landing system for the space agency. Artemis III mission and said he would consider other contracts with competitors, such as Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin.

A NASA official told CNBC that SpaceX and Blue Origin will have until October 29 to submit ways to speed up the project. The agency will also ask industry to suggest ways to “increase the rhythm” of lunar missions.

President Donald Trump chose Duffy as NASA administrator in July. The position has been vacant since the beginning of Trump’s presidency. Trump had previously nominated Musk ally Jared Isaacman, but withdrew the nomination earlier this year, saying he was a “blue-blooded Democrat and had never contributed to a Republican before.”

CNBC reported earlier this month that Trump had met with Isaacman to reconsider his role.

NASA is racing with China and others to return humans to the moon for the first time since 1972. The space agency launched the Artemis project under Trump’s first administration. create a “long-term asset” on the moon for science and technology exploration.

SpaceX won a $2.9 billion contract to build the technology in 2021. Other contractors, such as Blue Origin, LockheedMartin And Boeing’s They participate in various phases of the program.

However, the project was full of setbacks.

NASA launched the first Artemis mission in November 2022. The agency postponed the Artemis missions it had planned last December. NASA’s first Artemis launch with astronauts is now scheduled for April 2026, and a third mission to land two astronauts on the Moon is planned for 2027.

Now, the space agency is also grappling with aftershocks from the ongoing government shutdown, which has disrupted plans to reopen contracts. NASA made exceptions for employees and contractors working on Artemis missions to continue working during the shutdown, CNBC previously reported.

While Musk worked at the helm of DOGE, NASA faced sweeping anti-DEI cuts and implemented deferred resignation schedules that reduced the space agency’s workforce.

Nearly 4,000 NASA employees have accepted offers of a deferred resignation program since Trump took office, resulting in the space agency’s staff reduction by nearly a fifth.

WRISTWATCH: Transport Secretary Sean Duffy: SpaceX is behind Artemis III timeline

— CNBC’s Lora Kolodny contributed reporting